The London Metropolitan Police have labeled the stabbing of a British lawmaker a terrorist incident Friday.
David Amess, a member of Parliament from the Conservative Party, was stabbed to death on Saturday at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea.
“The fatal stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea has tonight been declared as a terrorist incident, with the investigation being led by Counter Terrorism Policing,” the police said in a statement.
There has been “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism” found in the early investigation into the murder.
The incident was formally declared terrorism by Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon.
A 25-year-old British man was arrested on the scene of the stabbing. He is in police custody in Essex.
The police currently believe the man worked alone.
“I think all our hearts are full of shock and sadness today,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after the incident. “David was a man who believed passionately in this country and in its future.”
“And we’ve lost today a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague, and our thoughts are very much today with his wife, his children, and his family,” he added.