“Twisted” Ali Harbi Ali staked out Michael Gove’s home on five occasions while planning to murder the Cabinet minister, a jury heard.
Ali, 26, had considered kicking down the door of the Scot’s home at night or launching an attack while the Tory was jogging, the Old Bailey was told.
Instead, “fanatical Islamist terrorist” Ali killed Conservative MP Sir David Amess by stabbing him 21 times with a 12-inch blade at a constituency surgery at a church, the court heard.
The jury was told other politicians Ali identified included Labour leader Keir Starmer, deputy PM Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and former chancellor Nigel Lawson.
Wearing glasses and a black robe, Ali sat in the dock just yards from members of Sir David’s family as the murder trial began yesterday.
Prosecutor Tom Little QC said: “This is a case involving a cold and calculated murder, a murder in a place of worship.
“A murder carried out because of a warped and twisted and violent ideology.
“It was a murder carried out by [Ali] who for many years had been planning just such an attack and is a committed, fanatical, radicalised Islamist terrorist.
“This was an assassination for terrorist purposes. It is a crime to which, we say, he has no defence.” Mr Little added Ali tricked his way into getting an appointment to see Sir David, 69, at the constituency surgery on October 15 by claiming to be moving to the area.
Appearing relaxed, Ali told Sir David at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, that he had trained as a radiographer and wanted to discuss foreign affairs, Mr Little said.
But he suddenly produced the blade, said “sorry”, then repeatedly stabbed the Southend West MP, the jury heard.
A couple arriving for an appointment heard cries from the dad of five’s aides while Ali waved the bloody knife shouting “I killed him”, the court heard.
Mr Little said the defendant then shouted: “I want him dead. I want every Parliament minister [sic] who signed up for the bombing of Syria who agreed to the Iraqi war to die.”
Ali refused to drop the knife and said he wanted to be shot, adding: “I want to die, I want to be a hero,” Mr Little said.
Footage from body-worn cameras showed unarmed police Ryan Curtis and Scott James bravely disarming Ali.
Following his arrest, Ali told detectives he had been self-radicalised between 2014 and 2015. By 2019, he had allegedly decided to carry out an attack and focused on some of the hundreds of MPs who voted for air strikes in Syria.
Ali, from Kentish Town, north London, went to Parliament seven times for reconnaissance but found police were “armed to the teeth”, jurors heard. Mobile phone records showed he travelled to west London to “scope out” Gove’s home five times between March and June last year, the court was told.
He dropped Gove, who is from Aberdeen, as a target after learning the Tory had split from his wife and sold the house, the prosecution said.
It is claimed Ali also visited the constituency surgery of Tory MP Mike Freer in Finchley, north London.
Ali had also done online research on Tory MPs Richard Fuller and Nickie Aiken and former Labour MP Claudia Webbe, the trial was told.
Ali is said to have looked at Starmer’s Wikipedia page four weeks before Sir David was murdered.
Mr Little said mental health would not form part of Ali’s defence. He added: “At the time of the killing and in interview, the defendant made crystal clear the killing of Sir David was in revenge. In other words, that he had taken the law into his own hands.”
Ali denies murder and preparing acts of terrorism. The trial continues.
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