The Islamic State terrorist who murdered MP Sir David Amess in a ‘lone wolf’ attack has been sentenced to a whole life prison sentence, condemned to die behind bars.
Ali Harbi Ali, 26, posed as a constituent to ambush Sir David at his Southend West constituency surgery, stabbing him repeatedly until he was sure the veteran MP was fatally wounded.
The extremist, believing he was taking revenge for the bombing of Syria, had been plotting a terror attack on an MP for two years before the stabbing of Sir David.
He had carried out chilling surveillance of Michael Gove’s west London home, plotting to attack the cabinet minister when he went out jogging or by breaking into his home at night.
London-born Ali had also staked out the north London office of Mike Freer MP, and visited Westminster to see if a politician could be murdered when emerging from the Parliamentary estate.
At the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Mr Justice Sweeney sentenced the killer to a whole life prison sentence, saying: “This was a murder that struck at the heart of our democracy.”
He said: “Sir David was a man of the greatest substance, and he had done nothing whatsoever to justify the attack upon him, let alone his murder.
“On the contrary, he devoted his life to the lawful service of the public and was engaged in doing so when he was murdered. His loss is one of national significance.”
The judge said Ali wanted to influence British foreign policy, and he decided to target politicians in the name of Islamic State.
“This was a murder carried out in revenge for Islamic State losses in Syria,” he said. “It owed nothing to any humanitarian consideration.
“It was done with the intention of influencing the government and thereby advancing a religious or ideological cause, namely that of Islamic State.
“The defendant has no remorse or shame for what he has done - quite the reverse.”
Sir David’s family sat in court throughout the murder trial, and victim impact statements from his wife and children were handed confidentially to the judge on Wednesday.
“They consider their grief to be private and personal”, said prosecutor Tom Little QC. The shocking attack on Sir David happened on October 15 last year, just over five years from the murder of fellow MP Jo Cox in her Batley and Spen constituency.
Southwark-born Ali had written to the long-serving MP’s office after seeing details of his constituency surgery advertised on Twitter, asking for a meeting while pretending that he was about to move to the Southend West area.
After praying on the beach, Ali calmly attended the meeting at the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh on Sea, Essex, and launched into a political rant at Sir David.
He had penned a WhatsApp message on his phone, to be sent out to friends and family to try to justify the murder, and pulled out a foot-long carving knife which he used to stab Sir David.
Rebecca Hayton, the MP’s assistant, told the court Ali was “relaxed and nice” before the stabbing, which happened without warning. She screamed and ran for help, while her colleague Julie Cushion saw a look of “self-satisfaction and smugness” when Ali emerged from the church vestry office.
“The image will stay with me for the rest of my life,” she said.
In an impact statement, Ms Cushion said she is haunted by memories of the attack and left with a “huge sense of guilt” as she had booked the surgery venue. A couple who had been due to meet Sir David confronted the killer as he waved around the bloodied knife, and Ali was ultimately arrested by two Essex police officers who bravely went into the church while unarmed.
The eldest of four children, Ali was on the phone to his sobbing sister when he was arrested, and was persuaded by her to give himself up rather than attempting any further violence.
Police investigations then uncovered the scale of Ali’s radicalisation and extension planning he had undertaken in the years prior to murdering Sir David.
The former radiography student, who dropped out of university, had started to self-radicalise as he studied for his A-Levels, watching violent propaganda videos online.
He harboured ambitions to carry out an attack in revenge for the bombing of Syria, a military action approved by the vast majority of MPs.
Ali decided against an attack at the Houses of Parliament after seeing police “armed to the teeth”, and had conducted online research into Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
He visited the area around Michael Gove’s west London home six times in summer 2021, and there was evidence from 2019 that the Levelling-Up Secretary may have been a target.
In a note on his phone, Ali had set out ideas for attacks in the morning, evening, and at night, suggesting he could “bump into him jogging - best outcome”, he thought of “caus(ing) a scene outside to lure him”, and also wrote: “Door is wooden and swings into house could be kicked in. Also glass next to lock open from through that.”
Ali had pictures on his phone of Gove’s home, as well as media images of the MP out jogging, but ultimately abandoned the plan when the minister split from his wife, Sarah Vine, and was thought to be moving home.
Ali was seen lurking outside the constituency office of Mike Freer in Finchley, north London, but eventually settled on Sir David as the target.
Mr Freer said he and his staff now wear stab vests and panic alarms, and have had to cancel advice surgeries until security has been increased. His husband now insists on accompanying him to public engagements.
Mr Gove said in his statement he and fellow MPs had suffered “enormous” loss after Sir David’s murder, while news that he had been a target “had put pressure” on the lives of his family.
In police interview, the killer calmly outlined his terror plot and admitted allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group.
Immediately after the stabbing, he had told bystanders: “I want him dead. I want every Parliament Minister who signed up for the bombing of Syria who agreed to the Iraqi war to die.”
He maintained the line at trial, insisting the killing was carried out to protect Syrians from further bombing. But the judge ultimately decided he had no viable defence to the murder charge.
“I don’t feel any shame”, he told the court. Asked if he had any regrets, Ali replied: “If I thought there was something wrong, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Jurors spent just 18 minutes deliberating before finding Ali, from Kentish Town, guilty of murder and plotting terrorist acts.
Ali instructed his barrister offer no mitigation at court on Wednesday, as the judge ordered him to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Ali joins a select group of Britain’s most notorious criminals who are serving whole life sentences, including Jo Cox’s killer Thomas Mair, former PC Wayne Couzens who raped and murdered Sarah Everard, and Grindr serial killer Stephen Port.
