UK: Ali Harbi Ali sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of MP David Amess
Judge Nigel Sweeney facing Islamic State militant Ali Harbi Ali sentenced to life in prison on April 13, 2022. AP - Elizabeth Cook
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Ali Harbi Ali, found guilty of the assassination of British MP David Amess, was sentenced to life in prison.
The militant of the Islamic State organization had stabbed to death the elected official last October, in his constituency of Essex.
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With our correspondent in London,
Émeline Vin
Sentenced to an irreducible life sentence, Ali Harbi Ali will spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole or early release.
A rare sentence, which the judge justifies by the premeditation of several years and by the symbol of the assassination: “
a blow to the heart of our democracy
” according to judge Nigel Sweeney.
The head of preparation of terrorist acts was also retained.
The 26-year-old Briton, a supporter of the Islamic State group, wanted to avenge the fighters killed by the coalition in Syria.
He would have liked to target more politicians, including Minister Michael Gove, and die a martyr.
The young man showed no remorse.
"
If I thought I had done something wrong, I wouldn't have done it
," he said.
On Monday, the jury needed just 18 minutes to find him guilty, after prosecutors called him a “
fanatic and radicalized Islamist terrorist
”.
The family of David Amess, who was 69, said they felt no euphoria.
"
What happened is beyond the diabolical, we will never recover from it
."
►Also read: The alleged murderer of MP David Amess tried in the United Kingdom
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