Sir David Amess' killer 'exited' from anti-radicalisation Prevent scheme 'too quickly', review finds

David Amess' family are calling for a full public inquiry into his murder and believe that's the only way they will get the answers they need, as Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports

The man who murdered MP Sir David Amess was "exited" from the government's anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent "too quickly", a review has found.

Ali Harbi Ali had been referred to Prevent seven years before he fatally stabbed the veteran Conservative MP in his constituency in 2021 - but his case was closed in 2016 because his terrorism risk was judged to be low.

Prevent officers had initially described Ali, who was inspired by the Islamic State, as a "pleasant, informed young man".

The findings are part of the Prevent Learning Review, which last week revealed a series of missed opportunities to stop the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, before he murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others.

Revealing the findings in the Commons, Security Minister Dan Jarvis told MPs the handling of Ali's case was "sub-optimal" and assessments of him were "problematic".

“The reviewer found that from the material reviewed, the assessment in terms of the perpetrator’s vulnerabilities was problematic, and this ultimately led to questionable decision making and sub-optimal handling of the case during the time he was engaged with Prevent and Channel," he told MPs.

“The reviewer ultimately found that while Prevent policy and guidance at the time was mostly followed, the case was exited from Prevent too quickly.”

Amess' family have been pushing for the publication of this review for some time but are still calling for a full public inquiry into the failings around the MP's murder - similar to the one launched into the Southport case.

His daughter Katie Amess told ITV News how she had seen a report into the incident in March 2024 but was required to sign a contract legally preventing her from disclosing its details.

“Then, the tragedy in Southport happens and their learning review is immediately released, so the government is on the backfoot and now suddenly they can release mine... This report would never have come out if it wasn’t for Southport."

Ms Amess said the author of the review “did not interview one single person to do with the perpetrator”, adding: “This is just a paper exercise, he looked back through emails and time logs and documents, it’s not an inquiry, it’s not an investigation."

She called for an inquiry that would examine what was known about Ali before the attack, and why concerns weren't followed up by anti-radicalisation programme Prevent due to an "admin error".

Katie Amess demands 'accountability' as she calls review into father's murder 'just a paper exercise'

Ms Amess also demanded to know why Essex Police didn't do more to protect her father despite unrelated threats being made the evening before his murder, accusing the force of issuing "canned responses" in the aftermath of the attack.

"It’s just massive gaslighting," she added.

“Why were the police not communicating with Prevent? Did MI5 have any of the information? There’s a massive blurring of responsibilities of who should have been doing what. And ultimately it led to them taking him out for a cup of coffee, him saying, ‘I’m not a terrorist’, and them letting him go.

“That is not a way that we should be dealing with people that we think might be terrorists in 2025.

"This isn’t the dark ages, we have the power, and we have the money and we have the resources to stop these attacks, and that is not happening and unless we get a full inquiry, unfortunately, this will happen time and time again… I want accountability and the system to be changed.”

Asked about the prospect of her father's murder being included as part of the Southport inquiry, Ms Amess said individual incidents must still be investigated, adding: “I’m not going to be stonewalled and whitewashed and swept under the carpet.”

Ms Amess previously told ITV News about her family's anger of being denied answers by officials, describing Prevent as "not fit for purpose". She warned in October last year: "This won't be the last time that another person has to sit here having lost a family member."

Timeline of Ali's brushes with Prevent

Ali was first referred to the government's Prevent programme by his school, Riddlesdown college, in October 2014, amid concerns over a change in his behaviour.

The learning review found that he “was an engaging student who had performed well at school and appeared to have a bright future”, but then “his demeanour, appearance and behaviour changed during his final two years at school”.

A month after the Prevent referral, in November 2014, he was moved on to the next stage of the anti-radicalisation scheme, Channel, working with experts in Islamist extremism.

By April 2015 he had exited Channel, when his risk of terrorism was assessed to be low.

One year later, he was again assessed as part of a police review and again his risk was found to be low.

His case was then closed and there were no further referrals to Prevent.

Five years later, he fatally stabbed Amess, 69, on October 15, 2021, at a church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where the MP was holding an advice surgery for his Southend West constituents.

In 2022, Ali was sentenced to a whole-life prison term.

The failings identified and the lessons learnt

Jarvis told the Commons that the learning review found six issues, including “problematic” record keeping; poor explanation for the rationale behind certain decisions; responsibilities between police and the local authority being blurred; the use of an outdated tool to identify vulnerability to radicalisation; a failure to involve the school who made the referral; and only one intervention session being provided instead of two.

He also said a number of issues in Ali’s case would “most likely not be repeated today” as the reviewer found “significant changes” had been made since his referral.

This includes the introduction of statutory duties for Prevent and Channel under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

But Jarvis added there are still a number of areas that could require further work to prevent future failures and that four recommendations made from the report have been “fully implemented” by the Home Office and counter-terrorism policing.

These included a single national referral form to encourage a consistency in referrals and training for police for the intelligence check stage.

Jarvis informed the Commons that reforms to further improve the security and safety of MPs are being considered.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Matt Jukes said it was clear in the review where the management and handling of Ali’s case “should have been better”, adding work has been done since to act on the recommendations.

“Difficult decisions in steering people away from radicalisation continue to be made every day, and with almost 60,000 Prevent referrals in the last decade, we owe it to all those affected, including those making the decisions, to take every opportunity possible to improve the system,” he said.

“It is critical that we use reviews such as this to ensure the system works now, and in the future, so that other families are spared the pain felt by the loved ones of Sir David.”

Amess' 'legacy lives on'

Jarvis paid tribute to the late Conservative Southend West MP and said he would not say his murderer’s name more than once.

“Sir David Amess was a beloved member of this House, a hugely respected Parliamentarian,” he said.

“His popularity extended right across the political divide. To win and keep the respect of those outside one’s own party is, as we all know, a rare accomplishment.”

Jarvis later added: “His legacy lives on, not least in Southend, which now has the city status he campaigned so determinedly for.

“He will never be forgotten, and as the motto on Sir David’s memorial shield behind me states, ‘his light remains’.”

Writing on behalf of Amess' family, Anna Firth, who succeeded Sir David as Southend West MP until 2024, said the publication of the report was welcome but “not sufficient”.

She wrote: “Whilst my primary concern is securing an inquiry for the Amess family, it is not just, fair or sensible to grant an inquiry to one group of families failed by Prevent, but not all. We are all equal under the law.”

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