British Conservative MP Boris Johnson was stabbed several times in a church by a man, who entered a meeting with voters from his constituency. This was clarified by an eyewitness from the scene to “Reuters”.
Later he is died of his wounds.
“He was treated by the emergency services, but unfortunately died,” police said.
A 25-year-old man was quickly arrested.
David Ames, 69, representing Southend West in Essex, East Anglia, was stabbed around noon at a meeting at Belfairs Methodist Church.
Police noted that a man was arrested after being stabbed and no one else was sought in connection with the incident.
Ames’s office confirmed that he had been stabbed, but gave no further details.
“He was stabbed several times,” said John Lamb, a local councilor who was present at the time of the incident, adding: “We’re not sure how serious this is, but it doesn’t look good.”
Helicopter footage from Sky News TV showed armed police in front of the church, as well as a number of ambulances. The church declined to comment.
“Terrifying and deeply shocking news. We are thinking about David, his family and his staff,” said opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer.
Ames was first elected to parliament in Basildon in 1983, and then ran for election in South West in 1997. His website says he held meetings with local voters on the first and third Fridays of months.
It lists his main interests as “issues related to animal welfare and life support”.
He is married and has five children.
The rupture of Ames’ meeting with voters echoes the case in 2010 when Labor MP Stephen Tims survived a stabbing in his constituency office, and the fatal shooting in 2016 against Labor Joe Cox just days before the Brexit referendum.
“The attack on our elected representatives is an attack on democracy itself“, Cox Brendan’s husband wrote on Twitter, adding:”There is no excuse, no excuse. It’s so low.”
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