Ali Harbi Ali

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Ali Harbi Ali (born c. 1995) is a British-Somali Islamic terrorist who murdered Member of Parliament Sir David Amess.

Biography

Ali was born in Somalia. His family fled Somalia in the late 1990s to the United Kingdom. His father Harbi Ali Kullane was director of communications for the Prime Minister of Somalia. Ali would become radicalized in college. He became an Islamic State sympathizer, and was heavily influenced by the group's spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani's call for Muslims to attack enemies of the Islamic State in their home countries. Using the website TheyWorkForYou.com, he compiled a list of 523 MPs who had voted in favour of bombing Islamic State in Syria and performed reconnaissance at the homes of several potential targets. He contemplated killing Secretary of State for Housing Michael Gove, performing six reconnaissance trips to his house, but eventually decided against attacking because he was too well protected. Instead, Ali chose to target Sir David Amess as he was less well protected and was a member of the Conservative Party Friends of Israel Society. He had previously visited MP Mike Freer's constituency office but had failed to find him because he was in a meeting.

On 15 October 2021, Amess attended a constituency surgery at a church hall in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where constituents could talk to him about their concerns. At 12:05 pm, Amess entered the building and encountered Ali, who stabbed him multiple times in the chest. He then remained in the church until the police and paramedics arrived and arrested him a few minutes later. Paramedics attempted to save Amess but failed and pronounced him dead at 1:13 pm.

Ali was charged with murder and preparation of a terrorist act. When booked into Southend police station, he told the booking officer he had committed "religious terror". During his interview he said "I mean... I killed an MP, so yeah", then regretted the statement because it sounded like a Little Britain sketch. He pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism on 21 December and went to trial at the Old Bailey in London. On 11 April 2022 Ali was convicted, refusing to stand for the verdict citing religious beliefs. On 13 April Judge Nigel Sweeney sentenced Ali to a whole-life order, meaning he will never be released from prison.