Boris Johnson visits church where UK lawmaker was fatally stabbed

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday visited the Methodist church where a member of Parliament had been fatally stabbed a day prior, Reuters reported.

“This morning I laid a wreath in memory of Sir David Amess MP, a much loved colleague and friend. My thoughts are with his wife, children and friends,” Johnson tweeted on Saturday. 

This morning I laid a wreath in memory of Sir David Amess MP, a much loved colleague and friend.

My thoughts are with his wife, children and friends. pic.twitter.com/GIP6XkzJJe

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 16, 2021

The tweet included a photo of a note he wrote that said, “To the memory of Sir David Amess MP, a fine parliamentarian and a much-loved colleague and friend,” according to Reuters.

On Friday, David Amess, a lawmaker from the Conservative Party, was stabbed multiple times while he was meeting with Britons at the Belfairs Methodist Church in the coastal town of Leigh-on-Sea. London Metropolitan Police said in a statement that Essex police had responded to the incident just after noon local time and that Amess had died on the scene.

A 25-year-old male suspect was apprehended and in custody, police said. They believed he acted alone and officials are not seeking to find anyone else in connection to the crime.

Police labeled the incident as terrorism and believe it may have been linked to Islamic extremism. 

Others joined Johnson in commemorating the 69-year-old member of Parliament.

“He was killed doing a job that he loves, serving his own constituents as an elected democratic member and, of course, acts of this are absolutely wrong, and we cannot let that get in the way of our functioning democracy,” British Home Secretary Priti Patel said, according to The Associated Press.

“The reason he wanted to use the church was because he wanted to be where the people were,” Rev. Clifford Newman said, according to the AP.

The incident comes after a far-right extremist killed Jo Cox, a lawmaker with the Labour Party, five years ago.