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| Suspect in British Lawmaker’s Killing Is Said to Have Neo-Nazi Ties | Suspect in British Lawmaker’s Killing Is Said to Have Neo-Nazi Ties |
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| BIRSTALL, England — The suspect in the killing of a member of Parliament on a street in northern England on Thursday has a history of ties with a neo-Nazi organization in the United States, and in 1999, he purchased books from the group on how to make a gun and improvised explosives, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. | BIRSTALL, England — The suspect in the killing of a member of Parliament on a street in northern England on Thursday has a history of ties with a neo-Nazi organization in the United States, and in 1999, he purchased books from the group on how to make a gun and improvised explosives, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. |
| The law center, which is based in Alabama and tracks extremist groups, released receipts Thursday night showing that the suspect, Thomas Mair, 52, had paid $620 for materials from National Vanguard Books, the publishing imprint of the neo-Nazi organization, called the National Alliance. The materials included a set of publications — including “Chemistry of Powder and Explosives” and “Improvised Munitions Handbook” — purchased in 1999. | The law center, which is based in Alabama and tracks extremist groups, released receipts Thursday night showing that the suspect, Thomas Mair, 52, had paid $620 for materials from National Vanguard Books, the publishing imprint of the neo-Nazi organization, called the National Alliance. The materials included a set of publications — including “Chemistry of Powder and Explosives” and “Improvised Munitions Handbook” — purchased in 1999. |
| The alliance, once a leading neo-Nazi group in the United States, fell into a long decline after the death in 2002 of its leader, William Luther Pierce, whose writings were a source of motivation for Timothy J. McVeigh, who killed 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The law center now considers the National Alliance to be “almost irrelevant.” | The alliance, once a leading neo-Nazi group in the United States, fell into a long decline after the death in 2002 of its leader, William Luther Pierce, whose writings were a source of motivation for Timothy J. McVeigh, who killed 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The law center now considers the National Alliance to be “almost irrelevant.” |
| The Telegraph, one of Britain’s main newspapers, reported that Mr. Mair’s name was on a decade-old website listing subscribers to the S. A. Patriot, a South African magazine published by a pro-apartheid group, the White Rhino Club. A blog post attributed to the group, dated January 2006, described Mr. Mair as “one of the earliest subscribers and supporters of S. A. Patriot.” | The Telegraph, one of Britain’s main newspapers, reported that Mr. Mair’s name was on a decade-old website listing subscribers to the S. A. Patriot, a South African magazine published by a pro-apartheid group, the White Rhino Club. A blog post attributed to the group, dated January 2006, described Mr. Mair as “one of the earliest subscribers and supporters of S. A. Patriot.” |
| Moments after the attack Thursday afternoon, the police arrested Mr. Mair on suspicion of having shot the lawmaker, Jo Cox, 41. Ms. Cox had just completed a meeting with constituents in the town of Birstall when, according to witnesses, she was shot by a man who confronted her on the street. Another man, 77, who had sought to intervene, was injured. | Moments after the attack Thursday afternoon, the police arrested Mr. Mair on suspicion of having shot the lawmaker, Jo Cox, 41. Ms. Cox had just completed a meeting with constituents in the town of Birstall when, according to witnesses, she was shot by a man who confronted her on the street. Another man, 77, who had sought to intervene, was injured. |
| The police have not disclosed any information about a possible motive for the attack and have not formally identified Mr. Mair as the suspect, though his family and neighbors have confirmed that he is the man in custody. Family members have told British news organizations that Mr. Mair has a history of mental illness. | The police have not disclosed any information about a possible motive for the attack and have not formally identified Mr. Mair as the suspect, though his family and neighbors have confirmed that he is the man in custody. Family members have told British news organizations that Mr. Mair has a history of mental illness. |
| The West Yorkshire Police said they were not looking for any additional suspects and declined to answer questions from journalists on Friday. | The West Yorkshire Police said they were not looking for any additional suspects and declined to answer questions from journalists on Friday. |
| The killing, and Mr. Mair’s reported ties to far-right and racist organizations, introduced a volatile element into the political debate in Britain a week from the referendum next Thursday about whether the country should leave the European Union. Issues of immigration and national identity have been central to the sometimes-bitter clashes over membership in the bloc, and they have driven the campaign at times toward what critics say is racism and xenophobia. Both sides immediately suspended campaigning on Thursday out of respect for Ms. Cox. | The killing, and Mr. Mair’s reported ties to far-right and racist organizations, introduced a volatile element into the political debate in Britain a week from the referendum next Thursday about whether the country should leave the European Union. Issues of immigration and national identity have been central to the sometimes-bitter clashes over membership in the bloc, and they have driven the campaign at times toward what critics say is racism and xenophobia. Both sides immediately suspended campaigning on Thursday out of respect for Ms. Cox. |
| It is not clear whether the attacker had set out to target Ms. Cox or what his motivations or mental state might have been. The Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for protecting London, said on Friday that Ms. Cox had alerted the police in March to “malicious communication” by a man. The man was detained and released with a warning, and “that’s not the same man who is currently in custody in West Yorkshire,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. | It is not clear whether the attacker had set out to target Ms. Cox or what his motivations or mental state might have been. The Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for protecting London, said on Friday that Ms. Cox had alerted the police in March to “malicious communication” by a man. The man was detained and released with a warning, and “that’s not the same man who is currently in custody in West Yorkshire,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. |
| The killing of Ms. Cox — the first of a sitting member of Parliament since the Irish Republican Army assassinated Ian Gow, a Conservative lawmaker, in 1990 — elicited an outpouring of sympathy in Britain, a nation where gun ownership is strictly regulated. | The killing of Ms. Cox — the first of a sitting member of Parliament since the Irish Republican Army assassinated Ian Gow, a Conservative lawmaker, in 1990 — elicited an outpouring of sympathy in Britain, a nation where gun ownership is strictly regulated. |
| Ms. Cox, a member of the opposition Labour Party, was elected to Parliament for the area of Batley and Spen only last August. But in less than a year, she had already established a strong reputation. Prime Minister David Cameron and his rival Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, both praised her Thursday night as a rising star in British politics. | Ms. Cox, a member of the opposition Labour Party, was elected to Parliament for the area of Batley and Spen only last August. But in less than a year, she had already established a strong reputation. Prime Minister David Cameron and his rival Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, both praised her Thursday night as a rising star in British politics. |
| Hundreds of people packed St. Peter’s Church in Birstall on Thursday night for a memorial service for Ms. Cox. The town, about six miles southwest of the city of Leeds, has about 16,000 residents. | Hundreds of people packed St. Peter’s Church in Birstall on Thursday night for a memorial service for Ms. Cox. The town, about six miles southwest of the city of Leeds, has about 16,000 residents. |
| Kathryn Pinnock, a Liberal Democrat councilor from Birstall who was appointed to the House of Lords in 2014, said in an interview that she was due to campaign with Ms. Cox on Thursday afternoon for Britain to remain in the European Union. | Kathryn Pinnock, a Liberal Democrat councilor from Birstall who was appointed to the House of Lords in 2014, said in an interview that she was due to campaign with Ms. Cox on Thursday afternoon for Britain to remain in the European Union. |
| Ms. Pinnock said that Ms. Cox had mentioned receiving some “very unpleasant” messages via social media. | |
| “There is a lot of what I have described as bile in our public life at the minute,” Ms. Pinnock said. “It has become so personally aggressive, and that is not acceptable. We should be discussing the issues, not the people.” | |
| “It is from that tone that this sort of stuff comes,” Mr. Pinnock said, speaking in the village square in front of a host of floral tributes to Ms. Cox. “It was an attack on our public life. She was murdered for being an M.P.” | |
| She added: “What sort of country have we got when what can happen and that sort of anger can be in people — that they just sort of think that they can go out and murder a person they disagree with?” | She added: “What sort of country have we got when what can happen and that sort of anger can be in people — that they just sort of think that they can go out and murder a person they disagree with?” |