The ‘bloodthirsty’ terrorist who stabbed Sir David Amess to death as he held a constituency surgery will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Jurors took just 18 minutes to find Ali Harbi Ali guilty of murdering the MP for Southend West at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea.

On October 15 last year, the ISIS fanatic told Sir David he was ‘sorry’ before stabbing him more than 20 times with a foot-long carving knife.

He admitted to killing the Conservative backbencher after tricking his office into believing he was a healthcare worker moving to the area.

The school drop-out, from Kentish Town, north London, also said he’d plotted to kill other MPs including Michael Gove.

But he denied charges of murder and preparing acts of terrorism on the basis that he was ‘protecting’ other Muslims in Syria.

Ali, 26, told the court Sir David’s ‘deserved to die’ because he voted in favour of airstrikes in the Middle Eastern country in 2014 and 2015, claiming he had no regrets.

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Ali’s barrister Tracy Ayling QC, said she had been ‘specifically instructed’ by her client not to address the judge in mitigation.

Mr Justice Sweeney handed the killer a rare-whole life order at the Old Bailey today – meaning he will never be eligible for release and will die in jail.

In his sentencing remarks, he said: ‘I express the court’s sincere admiration of the brave and dignified way the family have handled their loss and the ordeal of the trial, that was brought upon them by the defendant’s cowardly refusal to accept his guilt.’

‘This was carried out in revenge for losses by IS in Syria,’ Mr Justice Sweeny told the court.

‘It was done with the intention of influencing govt, thereby advancing a religious and ideological course. Ali has no remorse or shame for what he has done, quite the reverse.’

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The court heard how Ali, who grew up in Croydon, south London, became known to authorities around the same time his performance at school started dipping.

He became radicalised after watching ISIS propaganda videos and witnessing the brutality of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Ali was referred to the Government’s Prevent counter-terrorism programme, but he continued plotting an attack in secret.

The aspiring doctor considered travelling to fight in Syria, but by 2019, he’d settled on carrying out an attack in the UK instead.

Around the time of the murder, Ali sent a WhatsApp message to friends and family, justifying his attack as being in the ‘name of Allah’.

Sir David, a 69-year-old father-of-five, screamed as a knife was plunged into him and died at the scene.

Ali, the son of a former media adviser to a prime minister of Somalia, was later apprehended by two police officers who were only armed with barons and spray.

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: ‘They’ve basically gone in armed with a stick – something that appears smaller than a deodorant can – to deal with a man that has just committed an absolutely heinous act, still armed with that knife. I think it’s an astounding act of bravery.’

The pair, who bundled the attacker down to the floor at the church, were later given awards for their bravery.

In a victim impact statement, Julie Cushion, one of the MPs members of staff, said she ‘can’t get the perpetrator’s face, as he was led away, out of my mind’, adding: ‘He looked so smug, and so self satisfied.’

Ali told detectives he had spent years planning to kill an MP and had previously carried out reconnaissance at the Houses of Parliament, and of two other MPs, including cabinet minister Michael Gove.

He said he had ‘bottled’ previous attacks and had settled on Amess because he was ‘the easiest’.

Ali, who described himself as ‘moderate’, also mentioned the lawmaker’s membership of the Conservative Friends of Israel Group.

The London-born terrorist told the court: ‘If I thought I did anything wrong, I wouldn’t have done it.’

Sir David’s death sent shockwaves throughout Westminster and led to renewed concerns about the safety of politicians in the UK.

It came just five years after the murder of Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed multiple times by right-wing extremist Thomas Alexander Mair ahead of the EU referendum.

A week after Sir David’s death, MPs were offered security guards at their constituency surgeries.

Today the prosecution read a statement from MP for Finchley and Golders Green Mike Freer, who said Ali visited his constituency months before the murder.

He said he and his staff are now wearing stab proof vests when meeting members of the public.

‘It’s put profound pressure on our lives. I’ve found the impact of losing David has been enormous,’ Michael Gove said in a statement.

Ali refused to stand in the dock on ‘religious grounds’ as the jury delivered their verdict on Monday.

Richard Hillgrove, a friend and colleague of Sir David who spoke to him on a Zoom call moments before his murder, said the trial was a ‘sad day’ for the legal system.

He told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s quite a chilling day. He exercised his legal right to a trial but I don’t know how he could say he was not guilty before standing in court admitting to everything and finding everything amusing.’

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