The suspect in the murder of British MP David Amess, who was stabbed to death in an attack that shocked Britain in October, said on Thursday April 7 that he had targeted the MP to prevent him from “causing harm” to Muslims by authorising the bombing of Syria.
Ali Harbi Ali, 26, who has been on trial for murder and preparing terrorist acts since March 21, told the Old Bailey criminal court in London that he killed the Conservative MP because the latter had voted in favour of air strikes on Syria. “I killed him because he was harming Muslims,” he said during his 80-minute testimony, guarded by three police officers. “I felt that if I could kill someone who decided to kill Muslims, it could prevent more harm being done to those Muslims,” he continued. “Maybe this will also send a message to his colleagues”. The accused was frustrated at not being able to go to Syria and fight with the Islamic State group himself, and had told himself that he should “try to do something here to help the Muslims there”. He had also considered killing the minister, Michael Gove. The man from London claimed to be a “moderate Muslim” and asserted that he had no regrets: “If I thought I was doing something wrong, I wouldn’t have done it.(…) Le Figaro