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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
(about 2 hours later)
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, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and may have suffered from mental illness, according to an account he gave a local newspaper in 2010.
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. Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, both traveled on Friday to the district represented by the slain lawmaker, Jo Cox, 41. In Birstall, the town where she was killed, residents placed bouquets around a local landmark, a statue of Joseph Priestley, who helped discover oxygen. Flags were flown at half-staff at the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and other public buildings.
The killing — and the suspect’s reported ties to far-right organizations — introduced a volatile element into the political debate in Britain a week before a referendum on 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 have driven the campaign at times toward what critics say is racism and xenophobia. Both sides in that debate have suspended campaigning out of respect for Ms. Cox.
The shooting stunned Britain, where handguns are strictly regulated and where no sitting member of Parliament had been killed while in office since 1990. Statements condemning the attack and praising Ms. Cox poured in from leaders like Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States, Prime Minister Enda Kenny of Ireland, President François Hollande of France.
Many questions remained unanswered on Friday, including about the suspect’s motives and state of mind, and whether he intended to target Ms. Cox, who had reported concerns about online threats and harassment.
The police have revealed very few details about the suspect beyond his age, 52. Neighbors in the town of Birstall, where the suspect lived and where Ms. Cox was shot, identified him as Thomas Mair.
On Thursday night, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is based in Alabama and tracks extremist groups, released receipts showing that Mr. Mair had paid $620 for materials from National Vanguard Books, the publishing imprint of a neo-Nazi organization called the National Alliance. The materials included publications on how to make a gun and improvised explosives.
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. Mr. Mair might also have had a history of mental illness. A local newspaper, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, quoted Mr. Mair in an article in 2010 that described him as a client of Pathways Day Center, a program for adults with mental health problems, which placed him as a volunteer at Oakwell Hall and Country Park, a local attraction that includes a manor house built in 1583.
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. “I can honestly say it has done me more good than all the psychotherapy and medication in the world,” the newspaper quoted Mr. Mair as saying. “Getting out of the house and meeting new people is a good thing, but more important in my view is doing physically demanding and useful labor.”
Officials at the day center and at the park declined to comment.
A number of neighbors described him as quiet and reclusive. One of them, Diana Peters, said she met Mr. Mair when he was around 8 years old but had never been invited into his home.
When she heard of his arrest, she said, “I was devastated. You think you know somebody but you have no idea at all who’s living next door.”
Ms. Peters described Mr. Mair as meek and polite, and said that he had told her that he spent most evenings on his computer or watching television; he also spent time in the garden and cut grass. “He never showed any sign of psychiatric problems,” she said.
Moments after the attack Thursday afternoon, the police tackled and arrested a man on suspicion of having shot the lawmaker. 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.
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. It is not clear what the attacker’s mental state or intentions might have been. The Metropolitan Police, 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. Ms. Cox, a member of the opposition Labour Party who would have turned 42 on Wednesday, 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. Mr. Cameron and Mr. Corbyn both praised her Thursday night as a rising star in British politics.
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.
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 to have campaigned 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.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.”“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.” “It is from that tone that this sort of stuff comes,” Ms. Pinnock said, speaking in the village square in front 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?”
The killing has also put a spotlight on the safety of lawmakers, who routinely meet with their constituents at libraries, schools and other public buildings. The press office for the House of Commons said it was “too soon to comment on this tragic incident or any wider implications but we are advising members if they have any concerns to contact their local police.”