Conservative British MP Sir David Amess was murdered today in a stabbing attack in a church on Eastwood Road in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.
David Amess was stabbed multiple times at meeting with constituents in a church.
A 25-year-old man of Somali heritage rushed into the church and stabbed David Amess multiple times then sat down and waited for police to arrive.
Paramedics worked to save the politician on the floor of an Essex church for more than an hour but he could not be saved after the appalling attack
On Friday evening the Metropolitan Police declared Sir David Amess’s murder a terrorist attack.
It is not clear what evidence they have gathered at this point.
The Metropolitan Police reported:
The fatal stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea has tonight been declared as a terrorist incident, with the investigation being led by Counter Terrorism Policing.
The investigation is being led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command who are working closely with colleagues from the Eastern Region Specialist Operations Unit (ERSOU) and Essex Police.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon formally declared the incident as terrorism. The early investigation has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism.
Essex Police responded to an incident at an address in Eastwood Road North, Essex, shortly after 12:05hrs on Friday, 15 October.
At the scene, officers found a man with multiple stab wounds. He was given emergency medical treatment by emergency services, but sadly died at the scene.
Although formal identification has yet to take place, the man was identified as Sir David Amess, Member of Parliament for Southend West. Specialist officers are supporting his family.
A 25-year-old British man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. He is currently in custody at a police station in Essex.