Man convicted for murder of UK lawmaker

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - A man has been found guilty of murdering British lawmaker Sir David Amess at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

The 69-year-old Conservative MP was stabbed to death while meeting with locals in his constituency in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, last October.

Ali Harbi Ali, 26, was convicted of murder and preparing acts of terrorism.

The court heard that he spent years preparing for his attack and researched attacking other high-level politicians.

Rebecca Hayton, Sir David’s aide, witnessed the attack. She said Ali stood up, said “sorry”, then pulled out a knife and stabbed the politician “straight in the stomach.”

Tom Little, the prosecutor, said Ali “stabbed him multiple times in a vicious and frenzied attack.”

Ali said after the attack that he wanted “every parliament minister who signed up for the bombing of Syria, who agreed to the Iraqi war, to die”.

He added: "I've done it because of Syria. I've done it because of the innocent people. I've done it because of the bombing. He deserved to die."

Ali will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.