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Politicians and members of the public offered tributes to British MP Jo Cox, one day after she was shot and killed in northern England. A 52-year-old man has been arrested. (June 17) AP
A convoy of police vehicles believed to be transporting murder suspect Tommy Mair leaves Westminster Magistrates Court in London, June 18, 2016.(Photo: HANNAH MCKAY, EPA)
LONDON<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— A<span style="color: Red;">*</span>man charged with murdering British politician Jo Cox gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain" in a court appearance Saturday.
Thomas Mair, 52, made the statement when he was asked to identify himself at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London.
Mair has suspected ties to far-right groups but has been described as a loner by neighbors who said he liked gardening and showed no signs of being radicalized.
In addition to murder, Mair faces a number other charges including grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offense and possession of an offensive weapon, police said.
Mair said nothing when the court asked him to give address and date of birth.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Deputy Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot told the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>court that a psychiatric report should be prepared “bearing in mind the name he has just given.”
Mair, who was not required to enter a plea Saturday, will be held<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in custody at Belmarsh Prison until his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>next<span style="color: Red;">*</span>appearance at the Old Bailey, a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>higher court, on Monday.
Cox, 41, a mother of two who had only been a member of Parliament for one<span style="color: Red;">*</span>year, was stabbed and shot in a brazen attack in broad daylight on Thursday after she met with constituents in the village of Birstall in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>West Yorkshire in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>northern England.
Gun murders are relatively rare in Britain and Cox's killing has shocked the country. It has also<span style="color: Red;">*</span>led to intense public discussions<span style="color: Red;">*</span>about the heated tone of political campaigning<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a week before Britain holds a national referendum on its European Union membership.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Immigration has featured heavily in that debate.
Anti-EU campaigners say leaving the EU would enable Britain to restrict<span style="color: Red;">*</span>immigration. Cox supported staying in the 28-nation political bloc.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Both sides halted their campaigns through Saturday after her assassination.
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Dee Collins,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>West Yorkshire's police chief, said police were "keeping an open mind" over the suspect's motivation for the attack, but that Mair's connection to right wing extremism and "mental heath services" were a "priority line of inquiry."
Mair's statement in court may reinforce the impression that he is mentally ill.
Police said that a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>77-year-old man who was injured as he attempted to help Cox as she was being attacked was in a stable condition in the hospital.
Collins said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mair allegedly attacked<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Cox<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as she emerged from her car with<span style="color: Red;">*</span>two aides. Cox was stabbed repeatedly with a hunting knife and shot as she lay on the ground.
Records have surfaced showing that Mair subscribed to a far-right publication and sought information from white supremacist groups. His younger brother also revealed that Mair<span style="color: Red;">*</span>had a history of mental illness for which he received treatment.
Mair lived just a short walk away from where Cox was killed.
Prime Minister David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn, the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>leader of the opposition Labour Party,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Conservative Party politician<span style="color: Red;">*</span>John Bercow visited Birstall on Friday where they<span style="color: Red;">*</span>paid<span style="color: Red;">*</span>tribute to Cox.
"The most profound thing that's happened is that two children have lost their mother, and a husband has lost a loving wife," Cameron said.
President Obama called Cox's husband Brendan Cox on<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Friday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"The president noted that the world is a better place because of her selfless service to others, and that there can be no justification for this heinous crime, which robbed a family, a community, and a nation of a dedicated wife, mother, and public servant,"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a White House summary of the call said.
Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara
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