Les-on-Sea, England October 15 (BNA): A British MP was stabbed to death Friday in a church by a man who attacked him during a meeting with voters from his constituency, repeatedly stabbing him with a knife.
David Amis, a 69-year-old MP from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party, was attacked around midday at a meeting at Belvers Methodist Church in Lee-on-Sea, east London.
“He was treated by emergency services but unfortunately died at the scene,” police said. “A 25-year-old man was quickly arrested after officers arrived at the scene on suspicion of murder, and a knife was found,” he added.
Armed police stormed the church and investigators said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. No details were given about the motive for the attack, according to Reuters.
Emergency services fought to save his life inside the church – where a sign says “Everyone is welcome here” – to no avail.
Colleagues from across Parliament expressed shock and praise for Ames, who held regular meetings with voters on the first and third Friday of the month, saying he was diligent in his duties in his local area.
Flags have been lowered in Downing Street in honor.
Ames, who is married with five children, was first elected to Parliament to represent Basildon in 1983, then ran for Southend West in 1997. Queen Elizabeth awarded him a knighthood for public service in 2015.
His website listed his main interests as “Animal Welfare and Life Conservation Issues”. He was popular with lawmakers and known for his active contributions to debates – often on issues related to his constituency in Essex or animal rights.
“He was stabbed several times,” John Lamb, an alderman at the scene, told Reuters.
The stabbing at a meeting with voters has echoes of the 2010 incident when Labor MP Stephen Thames survived a stabbing in his constituency office, and the deadly 2016 shooting of Labor’s Jo Cox just days before the Brexit referendum.
“Attacking our elected representatives is an attack on democracy itself,” Cox’s husband Brendan said on Twitter. “There is no excuse or justification. He is as cowardly as he gets.”
“It brings everything back. The pain, the loss, but also the amount of love the audience gave us after losing Joe. I hope we can do the same for David now.”
As bleak news of the attack emerged, Prime Minister Johnson rushed back to London from a meeting in Bristol, western England. His colleagues said that Ames was a kind man, and they considered him a true gentleman.
“This is the most devastating, terrible and tragic news,” former Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter. Words cannot adequately express the horror of what happened today.
Johnson’s wife, Carrie, said she was devastated.
“Very devastating news for Sir David Amis. He was very kind and very kind,” she said on Twitter. “A huge animal lover and a real man. That’s totally unfair.”