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Friday April 8, 2022
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The man accused of murdering Conservative MP Sir David Amess
has told a court he did not have “any shame” as he admitted to killing the
Conservative MP because he had voted seven years ago in support of a military
campaign in Syria.
Ali Harbi Ali, 26, stabbed Amess more than 20 times with a
foot-long carving knife at Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex,
shortly after midday on 15 October 2021, the Old Bailey heard.
Telling the court he considered himself to be a “moderate
Muslim”, he said he had previously hoped to kill Michael Gove, now the
levelling up secretary.
He denies preparing terrorist acts and murder.
Dressed all in black, the bespectacled defendant told
jurors: “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.”
Ali said Amess had previously voted along with other MPs in
support of airstrikes on Islamic State-controlled territories in Syria, a vote
that took place in 2015 under the former prime minister David Cameron.
Cross-examined by Tom Little QC, Ali was asked what
difference killing Amess would make. He replied: “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.”
Little put it to Ali that on the day of the attack, Amess
was trying to help him.
Ali replied: “Oh, because of the surgery? I guess, yes. I
killed him because he harmed Muslims. If he helped me after that [voting on
Syrian airstrikes] then it doesn’t really matter.”
Little said: “He posed no risk at all to you.”
Ali replied: “He posed risk to Muslims.”
He agreed that Amess’s membership of the Conservative
Friends of Israel group was another “big problem” for him.
Ali admitted he had previously been asked why he had a note
on his phone about his “plans” to kill Gove.
Ali said: “That was plans I had to attack and hopefully kill
Michael Gove at the time. I believe he was someone who was a harm to Muslims. I
thought if I couldn’t go join Islamic State, I should try and do something here
to help Muslims here.”
Ali told the court he had no regrets over killing Sir David,
who he referred to as simply “David”.
He denied being “utterly shameless”.
He said: “I wouldn’t use the word ‘shameless’ but I don’t
have any shame.”
Little said: “You don’t think you did anything wrong.”
And Ali replied: “If I thought I did anything wrong, I
wouldn’t have done it.”
Ali said he “deeply” regretted not being able to join
Islamic State and did not think the attack was wrong. I consider myself a
Muslim who went out and killed someone who killed Muslims,” he said.
Asked if he regarded himself as a radical, he replied: “I am
a moderate Muslim.”
Ali had managed to arrange an appointment with Amess, 69, by
telling the politician’s office he was a healthcare worker moving to the area
and wished to discuss local matters.
The trial previously heard how Ali allegedly spent years
hatching his plot, researching a number of potential high-profile political
targets including Gove, Dominic Raab and Sir Keir Starmer, before settling on
Amess.
Describing his childhood, Ali told the jury it was “full of
love and care”.
“I had a big family who used to come around all the time,”
he said. “I don’t recall any bad memories at the time.”
He told the jury he dropped out of university as he felt “as
a Muslim” he was obliged to do something during a period when there was
fighting in Syria.
“I felt I was railroading myself into a normal life,” he
said.
The trial continues.