A young supporter of the Islamic State jihadist group was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for the murder of British MP David Ames. The massacre shook England.
Judge Nigel Sweeney, who sentenced 26-year-old Ali Harby Ali to life in Old Bailey Criminal Court in London, said he had ‘no suspicion’ of being stabbed to death by an elected official on October 15.
“This is a murder that has touched the heart of our democracy,” the judge said, insisting it was an “exceptional case”.
The ‘long term’ was planned in advance
Life is a very rare sentence, handed down to police officer Wayne Cousins last September, convicted of the March 2021 murder of Sarah Everett in London, as well as the murder of MP Joe Cox and the murder of far-right supporter Thomas Myr.
Attorney Tom Little stressed that the assassination of David Ames was a “long-term” planned “act of revenge” and would affect an elected official in the course of his public service work.
Ali Harbi Ali, who was born and raised in London to a family of Somali descent, was convicted on Monday of murder and terrorism.
The young man pleaded not guilty. But at a hearing last week he said he was targeting a 69-year-old elected official because he had voted in favor of airstrikes in Syria.
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