UPDATED WITH POLICE STATEMENT AND REACTION
LONDON (AA) – A U.K. opposition lawmaker has been killed in gun and knife attack on the street in her electoral district.
Labour Party MP Jo Cox died of her injuries after being hospitalized following the attack on Thursday afternoon in the town of Birstall, near Leeds in northern England.
A 52-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident. Local police confirmed at a press conference that they were not looking for any other suspects.
West Yorkshire Police chief Dee Collins said: “This is a very significant investigation with large numbers of witnesses that have been spoken to by police at this time.
“There is a large and significant crime scene and there is a large police presence in the area. A full investigation is underway to establish the motive of this attack.”
Eyewitnesses Hithem Ben Abdallah said the lawmaker was lying bleeding on the pavement after the attack, which took place shortly after she held a meeting with some constituents.
He told the BBC: “There was a guy who was being very brave and another guy with a white baseball cap who he was trying to control and the man in the baseball cap suddenly pulled a gun from his bag”.
British local media named the suspect in custody as Tommy Mair.
- 'Shock at horrific murder'
Cox was had been a parliamentary deputy for only 13 months, having been elected in last year’s general election.
In a written statement, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the country would be “in shock at the horrific murder of Jox Cox today”.
“Jo was dedicated to getting us to live up to our promises to support the developing world and strengthen human rights – and she brought those values and principles with her when she became an MP.
“Jo died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve. It is a profoundly important cause for us all.
British Prime Minister David Cameron described Cox as a “bright star”.
He said in recorded comments released to UK broadcasters: “I know she was a very strong campaigning MP. She had a great track record of caring about refugees. She’d taken a very big interest in how we could look after Syrian refugees and the right thing to do in our world.
“She had a huge heart.”
The shooting comes less than a week before voters decide on their country’s EU membership in a referendum.
All campaigning has been suspended as a sign of respect.