US President Barack Obama has spoken with the husband of British MP Jo Cox, who was brutally killed by a man described as a far-right loner, and condemned the “heinous crime” while offering condolences to him.
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Cox, 41, a mother of two who had only been a member of Parliament for one year, was stabbed and shot in a brazen attack in broad daylight on Thursday after she met with constituents in the village of Birstall in West Yorkshire in northern England.
David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn united to pay tribute to her life and legacy in Birstall today, while the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Ukip have announced they will not contest the upcoming Batley and Spen by-election as a mark of suspect.
Another question for detectives, she said, was how Mair acquired a gun in a country that imposed a ban on handgun ownership following a 1996 school massacre in Scotland, in which a deranged gun club member killed 16 first graders and a teacher.
The man charged with murdering Ms Cox declared “death to traitors, freedom for Britain” when asked to give his name during his first court appearance on Saturday.
“She said “Jo, get up” but she said “no, my pain is too much, Fazila”.
Cox’ killing has shocked the nation, uniting politicians in horror and leading to the suspension of hostilities in what had become increasingly bitter and ugly campaigning ahead of the June 23 referendum on the EU.
Mr Knight said: “Jo was someone who went out of her way to help others”.
The Sunday Times said “Yes, we must be prepared for difficulties, but we should hold our nerve” in voting Leave.
Buckby works as a press officer for “Liberty GB” – a party whose main aim is “halting the Islamisation of Britain”; yesterday the group’s Facebook account posted a picture of Cox and a quote of her’s promoting unity with the caption “death of a fool”.
But observers are predicting that both sides will attempt to strike a more measured tone as they make their case following Cox’s killing.
Mair also faces charges of grave bodily harm, “possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offense and possession of an offensive weapon”, according to the BBC.
Mair is due to appear in a central London court later on Saturday.
He was not required to enter a plea during the brief session Saturday, during which he was handcuffed to a guard throughout the proceedings. She said the regional counter-terrorism unit was aiding in the investigation, in part to determine any links with other extremists, but the Birstall native was believed to have acted alone.
The day before her killing, Cox joined her husband and two young children in campaigning for the pro-EU cause on the River Thames, where the family had lived in a houseboat since her election previous year.
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A 77-year-old man who intervened to try to protect Cox remains in hospital in a stable condition after suffering a serious injury to his abdomen.
