Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, have shared a heartfelt statement after the murder of MP David Amess.
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"We are shocked and saddened by the murder of Sir David Amess, who dedicated 40 years of his life to serving his community," they wrote on Twitter in the hours after his death. Signing off with their initials to indicate the message came direct, they added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues."
Conservative MP Sir David Amess, 69, was stabbed to death as he met constituents at a regular surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church on Friday morning. Essex Police were called to reports of a stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea where they arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
Sir David had been an MP since 1983 and was married with five children. He is the second serving MP to be killed in the past five years, following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 outside a library in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
William and Kate shared their grief with a statement
Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said police and paramedics "worked extremely hard" to save him but he died at the scene.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sir David had an "outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable".
"David was a man who believed passionately in this country and in its future. We've lost today a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague," said Mr Johnson.
Sir David had been a member of parliament for over 40 years
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer added: "We will show once more that violence, intimidation, and threats to our democracy will never prevail over the tireless commitment of public servants simply doing their jobs."
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote that he was "truly devastated" by Sir David's death.
"The death of a father, husband and friend is agonisingly painful for those who loved him," he wrote.
"He was a devout Roman Catholic whose deep faith fuelled his sense of justice. We are richer for his life, and we are all the poorer for his untimely death," he said.
A photograph of Sir David Amess is displayed as a mass was said for him
An investigation into the attack has been launchedby the Metropolitan Police's specialist Counter Terrorism Command, who will determine whether it was a terrorist incident.
Police have appealed for anyone who saw the attack, or who has footage from CCTV, dash cams or video doorbell to contact them.
Flags around Parliament and at 10 Downing Street are being flown at half-mast.
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