Lone wolf attacker Ali Harbi Ali has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Sir David Amess and preparing acts of terrorism.
The Islamic State fanatic, 26, carried out the “cold and calculating” murder at the veteran MP’s constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on October 15 last year.
He told the Old Bailey trial he had no regrets about the murder and he attempted to defend his actions by saying Sir Amess deserved to die as a result of voting in Parliament for air strikes on Syria in 2014 and 2015.
The jury deliberated for 18 minutes to find Ali, from Kentish Town, north London, unanimously guilty.
Mr Justice Sweeney said he would sentence Ali on Wednesday.
Thanking the jury, the judge said: “It cannot have been easy to listen to the evidence you have listened to.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to Sir David Amess and said his thoughts were with his family on the day of the trial.
He said: “Sir David Amess was a beloved colleague, public servant and friend who championed the city of Southend in everything he did.
“My thoughts today remain with Julia, the Amess family and all those who knew and loved him.”
Ali refused to stand up in the dock on “religious grounds” as he was convicted.
He researched MPs online including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
He staked out the west London home of Levelling Up Secretary Mr Gove six times and he wrote detailed notes on how he might get to him.
But he abandoned his plans when Mr Gove was thought to have moved out of his family home after splitting up with his wife.
Later he told the police: “It was… So convenient to go to that address but I just, I don’t know why I didn’t do that one.”
London-born Ali had become self-radicalised in 2014 as he dropped out of university and abandoned his ambitions of purusing a career in medicine, the court heard.
By September last year, Ali had settled on Sir Amess as an easy target after seeing his upcoming surgery in Leigh-on-Sea on Twitter.
He made an appointment through the MP’s office by making false claims he was moving to the area and that he was interested in churches.
On the morning of October 15 last year, he was caught on chilling CCTV as he made his way by foot and train to Essex.
Within minutes of meeting Sir Amess, Ali pulled out a 12in carving knife and stabbed him more than 20 times.
He waved the bloody knife and threatened to kill the MP’s two female aides and a couple who had arrived for their appointment.
Sir Amess’ assistant Julie Cushion told jurors he appeared “self-satisfied” in the wake of the brutal killing.
In police interview, he spoke calmly about his terror plot and admitted allegiance to so-called Islamic State.
He told officers Sir Amess immediately suspected a “sting”, having been duped into talking about a fake drug “cake” in the television series Brass Eye.
He went on: “I felt like one minute I was sat down at the table talking to him and the next he was, sort of, dead. But, yeah, it’s probably one of the strangest days… of my life now, y’know?”
Jurors were told Ali had no mental health issues and he accepted much of the evidence against him.
Sir Amess was killed five years after Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox was murdered in her constituency.
His death led to renewed concern around the safety of MPs.
Essex Police Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow praised his officers for their “astounding bravery” in tackling Ali.
He said: “They’ve basically gone in armed with a stick – something that appears smaller than a deodorant can – to deal with a man that has just committed an absolutely heinous act, still armed with that knife.
“I think it’s an astounding act of bravery.”
Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill QC said the murder was “the most appalling tragedy” especially for the Amess family.
He said: “I’m obviously pleased that at the end of what must have been a very difficult trial for Sir David Amess’s family, justice has been served and this individual will now pay the price for his crimes.”
Nick Price, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division said: “Sir David’s murder was a terrible attack on an MP as he went about his work, but it was also an attack on our democracy, it was an attack on all of us, an attack on our way of life.
“This was a horrific act of terrorism motivated by religious and ideological beliefs. Ali chose to commit this abhorrent crime for his own selfish and hateful reasons.
“There is no place for terrorism in our society and we will continue to prosecute these acts to the full extent of the law.
“Our thoughts today remain with the family and friends of Sir David. Their pain and suffering do not end with this conviction.”
