The man accused of murdering British MP Sir David Amess told a court he killed him in a church last year to stop him “harming Muslims” in Syria.
Ali Harbi Ali told jurors at the Old Bailey in London he had no regrets over his actions and that he had hoped to “send a message” to other MPs.
Mr Ali, 26, stabbed Amess more than 20 times with a 30-centimetre carving knife at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, shortly after midday on October 15, 2021, the court was told. The politician died at the scene.
The university dropout, who said he had a Christian upbringing, told jurors he was motivated to kill the veteran Southend West Conservative and father-of-five because he was among the MPs who voted in favour of bombing Syria in 2014 and 2015.
Mr Ali described himself as a “moderate Muslim” who carried out the domestic attack because he did not get to fight with ISIS in Syria.
Giving evidence on Thursday, the London-born accused said of the killing: “I decided to do it because I felt that if I could kill someone who made decisions to kill Muslims, it could prevent further harm to those Muslims."
Asked by defence counsel Tracy Ayling QC what difference killing Amess would make, Ali said: “For one, he can’t vote again.
“If he ‘had previous’ for doing votes like that, he won’t do it in the future. And perhaps send a message to his colleagues.
“You need a certain amount of votes … so it’s one off the list.”
Ali said he “deeply” regretted not being able to join ISIS and did not think the killing was wrong.
Asked if he had any regrets about the events of October 15, 2021, he replied: “No. If I thought I did anything wrong, I wouldn’t have done it," he said.
“I consider myself a Muslim who went out and killed someone who killed Muslims.”
Prosecutor Tom Little QC asked: “You don’t regard yourself as a radical?”
Mr Ali replied: “I am a moderate Muslim.”
The accused, wearing a dark top and trousers rowed back on previous comments the court heard he made to police that killing Sir David was an act of “terror”, instead comparing his actions with MPs who voted for air strikes in Syria.
“I don’t think I would use those words now," he told the court.
“If I was to use that word [terrorist] on myself, I would expect the British politicians who bombed Syria to use that word on themselves.”
Mr Ali, flanked by three security guards throughout his 80-minute appearance in the witness box, told the court he had expected to die “a martyr” when police arrived at the scene of the killing but dropped his knife when he realised the officers were not carrying guns.
He described his childhood in south London as “full of love and care”, but said he felt “obligated to do something” after seeing coverage of the Arab uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in the 2010s.
Mr Ali had managed to arrange an appointment with Amess, 69, by duping the politician’s office staff into believing he was a healthcare worker moving to the area and wished to discuss local matters, the court heard.
The trial previously heard how Mr Ali allegedly spent years hatching his plot, researching a number of potential high-profile political targets including Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Sir Keir Starmer, before settling on Amess.
Mr Ali, from Kentish Town, north London, denies preparing terrorist acts and murder.
The trial was adjourned until Monday for closing speeches.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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Match info
UAE v Bolivia, Friday, 6.25pm, Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium, Dubai
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5
Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder / 3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km
