British lawmakers gather to mourn David Amess after stabbing police call a likely act of terrorism

published 16 October 2021

British lawmakers, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, gathered Saturday to pay their respects at the Methodist church where David Amess, a lawmaker from Johnson's ruling Conservative Party, was fatally stabbed on Friday while meeting with constituents. Police arrested a 25-year-old man and recovered a knife, and are describing the attack as an act of terrorism. The Metropolitan Police said its early investigation "revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism," but did not elaborate.

Essex police said Amess was treated by emergency responders but died at the scene. Amess, 69, was married and had five children. He had been in Parliament since 1983.

The killing was the second of a British member of Parliament in five years, after the July 2016 murder of Labour's Jo Cox, and it raised new questions about security for lawmakers as they meet with the people they represent and carry out other aspects of their jobs.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Home Secretary Priti Patel on Saturday remembered Amass as a "man of the people" who was "killed doing a job he loved," and said "we will carry on, we live in an open society, a democracy." She added, "We cannot be cowed by any individual or any motivation ... to stop us from functioning."

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.