British MP Killed in Attack After Meeting with Constituents

A British member of parliament died Thursday afternoon in an attack at a library in her district in northern England, authorities report.

An attacker shot and stabbed Jo Cox, 41, a member of Britain's Labour Party, multiple times after meeting with constituents at approximately 12:53 p.m. local time.

Authorities responded to the scene, and she was transported to Leeds General Infirmary where she succumbed to her wounds and was pronounced dead at 1:48 p.m.

Another man was also injured in the attack, but his injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.

Police have arrested a suspect in the attack, a 52-year-old man whose name has not been released.

Dee Collins, temporary chief constable of the West Yorkshire Police, said that several weapons, including a firearm, were also recovered from the scene and are being analyzed.

"This is a very significant investigation, with large numbers of witnesses that have been spoken to by the police at this time," Collins said, according to The Guardian. "There is a large and significant crime scene, and there is a large police presence in this area. A full investigation is underway to establish the motives for this attack."

Police are not searching for any other suspects in connection with the attack on Cox and have not released a motive. Witnesses who spoke to The Guardian, however, have said that they heard Cox's suspected attacker shout "Britain first" before shooting and during his arrest.

Britain First is a far-right patriotic political party and "street defense organization that opposes and fights the many injustices that are routinely inflicted on the British people," according to its mission statement on its official Facebook page.

Britain First Deputy Leader Jayda Fransen said the party is looking into the situation.

"We were extremely shocked to see these reports and we are keen to confirm them, because of course at the moment it is hearsay," she said. "This has just been brought to our attention. This is absolutely not the kind of behavior we would condone."

Cox was elected to Parliament in 2015 and represented the West Yorkshire district of Batley and Spen. She was previously the head of policy and humanitarian campaigning for Oxfam.

Following the confirmation of her death, Cox's husband Brendan made a statement to the press.

"Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy and a zest for life that would exhaust most people," Brendan said.
"She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one, that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn't have a creed, race, or religion; it is poisonous."

Specially trained police officers have been placed with Cox's immediate family and are working in the local community to provide reassurance and support, Collins said.

Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled a rally in Gibraltar in response to the attack, and Home Secretary Theresa May said all campaigning for the European Union referendum has been suspended. The referendum will allow voters to decide next week whether the United Kingdom remains part of the European Union or if it will leave, commonly known as Brexit.