Son of former Somali PM's political aide arrested over stabbing of UK lawmaker

Ali Harbi Ali, the son of an ex-media adviser to a former prime minister of Somalia, has been arrested by British police under anti-terrorism laws following the killing of lawmaker David Amess, a source close to the investigation and British media said.

Amess, aged 69, was knifed repeatedly as he met constituency voters in a church on Friday in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London.

He was part of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, and his death sent shock waves through the British parliament and public. 

The outpouring of love for Sir David Amess in his constituency shows just how much he meant to the place that he was so obviously proud to represent. This morning @Jas_Athwal and I laid wreaths in his memory. pic.twitter.com/KfcMcEFVNc

— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) October 17, 2021

The killing took place five years after the murder of Jo Cox, a lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, and has prompted a review of politicians' security.

Police said they had arrested a 25-year-old British man at the scene on suspicion of murder and have said it is believed he acted alone.

They have not named the suspect but used additional powers under anti-terrorism laws to detain him until October 22.

A British source close to the investigation named Ali Harbi Ali, a British citizen, as the detained suspect.

Harbi Ali Kullane, the father of Ali Harbi Ali, told The Sunday Times that his son had been arrested in connection with the murder.

"At this particular moment we are going through [an]unprecedented and horrific situation," Harbi Ali Kullane, a former adviser to Hassan Ali Khaire, a Somali prime minister, told Reuters in an email when asked about this.

"Due to the ongoing early investigation I am obliged and commanded not to talk about it," said Harbi Ali Kullane, who is a former director of the Somali government's media and communication department.

British police were on Sunday searching an address in north London linked to Ali Harbi Ali, Reuters reporters said.

Interior minister Priti Patel said on Sunday Britain is considering a number of options to boost the security of lawmakers.