Shocking murder of British MP: Jo Cox complained of threats

Jo Cox, the British lawmaker murdered on the streets of northern England, had complained to police earlier this year about "malicious communications" she received, police said Friday.

A man was arrested in March and was cautioned by police, but he is not the man in custody for Thursday's attack, a statement from London's Metropolitan Police said.

Witnesses said Cox, a 41-year-old with two children aged three and five, was repeatedly shot and stabbed in Thursday's assault in the Yorkshire village of Birstall.

Police officers examine the crime scene on the pavement outside the library in Birstall, northern England. (AFP)

Her murder came one week before Britain holds a referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union, a vote which has sparked a divisive and bitter campaign.

"Officers received an allegation of malicious communications from Jo Cox MP, and in March 2016 arrested a man in connection with the investigation," the police statement said. 

"The man subsequently accepted a police caution. The man who accepted the police caution is not the man in custody in West Yorkshire."

The Times newspaper reported that police were considering putting in place additional security for Cox when she died.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (C) attends a vigil to slain Labour MP Jo Cox in Parliament square in London.

A 52-year-old man, named by British media as Thomas Mair, was arrested shortly after Cox was attacked.

Neighbours told newspapers that he was a loner who had lived in the area for decades, but there were indications he had extreme right-wing leanings.
 

Shock killing halts Britain's EU campaign

Britain was reeling Friday from the murder of a lawmaker on a village street that froze campaigning at its frantic peak a week from a referendum on European Union membership.

Jo Cox, a 41-year-old former aid worker and pro-EU campaigner known for her advocacy on behalf of Syrian refugees, was killed outside a library where she regularly met constituents in her home village of Birstall in northern England on Thursday.

Witnesses told local media the petite mother of two had been repeatedly shot and stabbed.

Both the Leave and Remain sides announced they would halt campaigning as a mark of respect, as commentators questioned whether the tone of the campaign had been divisive.

The murder overshadowed a by-election victory by Cox's opposition Labour party in the London district of Tooting in the early hours of Friday.

"Given the horrific events of today and the shocking death of Jo Cox, I do not intend to make a speech," the newly-elected MP Rosena Allin-Khan told the subdued counting centre.

"Jo's death reminds us that our democracy is precious but fragile, we must never forget to cherish it."

Earlier, dozens had gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in a vigil to remember Cox attended by Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, flanked by tearful party colleagues.

"What's happened is beyond appalling. We are here in silent memory of her loss," Corbyn said as rain began to fall.

"She was a fearless campaigner, and a voice for the voiceless. We feel shaken," said Fatima Ibrahim, 23, an activist with Avaaz.

In the quaint streets of Birstall, the scene of the attack was cordoned off and police could be seen examining a shoe and a handbag. Mourners left flowers nearby in tribute.

Police said an investigation was under way to determine the motive for the murder, the first killing of an MP since Ian Gow died in a car bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army in 1990.

There were some indications that the man named by British media as the attacker, 52-year-old Thomas Mair, may have had extreme right-wing leanings.

'White nationalism'

US advocacy group the Southern Poverty Law Center reported that Mair was a "dedicated supporter" of National Alliance, once the primary neo-Nazi organisation in the United States.

It said Mair had spent over $620 on reading material from the group, which advocated the creation of an all-white homeland and the eradication of Jewish people.

"Neighbours called him a "loner," but he also has a long history with white nationalism," the Southern Poverty Law Center said.

It added that Mair had purchased a handbook with instructions on how to make a gun, noting that witnesses told British media the assailant used a gun of "old-fashioned" or "homemade" appearance.

One witness of the attack, cafe owner Clarke Rothwell, told the Press Association that the gunman had shouted "put Britain first" repeatedly during the attack.

"Britain First" is the name of a far-right anti-immigration group, which released a statement saying it was "obviously not involved" and "would never encourage behaviour of this sort".

Mair's brother, Scott Mair, told the Daily Telegraph that Thomas "is not violent and is not all that political".

"He has a history of mental illness, but he has had help," Scott Mair said.

The newspaper also reported that Thomas Mair had been a subscriber to a magazine published by a South African pro-apartheid group.

'Fight the hatred'

In the wake of the attack, commentators questioned whether the tone of the EU referendum campaign had stirred up ugly currents.

Alex Massie noted in the Spectator magazine that the day had begun with the unveiling of an anti-EU poster featuring a queue of migrants and refugees and the words "Breaking point".

"The message was not very subtle: Vote Leave, Britain, or be overrun by brown people," Massie wrote.

"When you present politics as a matter of life and death, as a question of national survival, don't be surprised if someone takes you at your word."

Before the suspension of the campaign, polls had indicated the result of the referendum could be on a knife-edge following an uptick in support for the pro-Leave side.

Cox, whose first speech in parliament defended immigration and diversity, lived with her husband Brendan and their two children aged three and five, on a house boat on London's river Thames.

As the news of her death broke, Brendan issued a an impassioned appeal for unity against hatred.

"She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now," he wrote.

"One, that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her."

British lawmaker killed in shock attack ahead of EU vote

A British lawmaker died on Thursday after a shock daylight street attack, throwing campaigning for the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union into disarray just a week before the crucial vote.

Jo Cox, a 41-year-old mother-of-two from the opposition Labour Party, was left bleeding on the pavement after reportedly being shot and stabbed in the village of Birstall in northern England, according to witnesses quoted by local media.

Police later announced the death of Cox -- a leading campaigner for Britain to remain in the 28-member bloc -- and said a 52-year-old man had been arrested.

"We are not in a position to discuss any motive at this time," West Yorkshire Police chief Dee Collins told reporters.

But she added: "We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident."

After the attack, the "Remain" camp said it was "suspending all campaigning for the day" while a spokesman for the rival Vote Leave group said their 'battle bus' was returning to headquarters.

Prime Minister David Cameron cancelled a planned rally during a historic but controversial visit to Gibraltar as part of his campaign for Britain to stay in the EU in the June 23 vote.

"The death of Jo Cox is a tragedy. She was a committed and caring MP. My thoughts are with her husband Brendan and her two young children," he said on Twitter.

One witness, local cafe owner Clarke Rothwell, said that Cox had been shot three times.

"He shot this lady once and then he shot her again, he fell to the floor, leant over shot her once more in the face area," he told the BBC.

Sky News television quoted unconfirmed reports that the shooter shouted "Britain first" -- possibly a reference to a far-right group of the same name.

The attack halted a frantic day of campaigning, as two new opinion polls indicated that more Britons now want to leave the EU than want to stay.

If they prove correct, Britain would become the first country in the nearly six-decade history of the bloc to leave.

Cameron was already on his way to Gibraltar when news of the attack broke, on the first trip to the rocky outcrop by a British premier since 1968.

His visit has angered Spain, which also claims the tiny territory.

'Difficult to be optimistic'

The looming prospect of a Brexit has sparked volatility in the financial markets and sent the pound plunging, and prompted interventions from a number of EU leaders.

"I know it's very difficult for us to be optimistic today, we know the latest polls," EU President Donald Tusk said on a visit to Helsinki.

But he added: "The EU will survive, I have no doubt -- it is still much easier to survive when you are 27 member states than completely alone".

At an economic forum in Russia, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said a Brexit would usher in "a period of major uncertainty" in Britain and the EU.

But he too added: "I don't think that the European Union will be in danger of death if Britain leaves because we continue the process of closer cooperation in Europe."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel used a press conference in Berlin to urge Britain to stay.

She said that in the event of a Brexit, "everything related to the common market, and to the mutual benefit to Britain and all other European member states, would no longer be available to Britain".

Too close to call

A new survey by Ipsos Mori showed support for leaving the EU now stands at 53 percent compared to 47 percent for those who want to stay in, excluding undecided voters.

Another new poll by Survation put "Leave" ahead by 52-48, excluding undecided voters.

Polling expert John Curtice said the race was now too close to call, telling the BBC: "I think we no longer have a favourite in this referendum."

The Bank of England issued a fresh warning about the consequences of a Brexit, it was "the largest immediate risk facing UK financial markets, and possibly also global financial markets".

The International Monetary Fund also warned that a vote to leave would rattle markets and weigh on economic growth.

London's FTSE 100 share index fell 1.1 percent to 5,899, before recovering somewhat to end the day 0.27 percent lower at 5,950.

The pound hit a new two-month low against the euro.

"City watchers are beginning to take the threat seriously and start to price in the possibility of a Brexit," said Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital.

Leading business newspaper the Financial Times endorsed the "Remain" camp, saying Britain had benefited from its 43-year membership of the European fold and leaving would "seriously damage" the economy.

"A vote to withdraw would be irrevocable, a grievous blow to the post-1945 liberal world order," it added.

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