Jo Cox Attack: Murder Suspect Gives Name as 'Death to Traitors' in Court
By Madison Park and Seb Shukla, CNN
6:59 AM ET, Sat June 18, 2016
The man charged in the killing of British politician Jo Cox appeared in a Westminster court Saturday with a message.
"My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain," Tommy Mair said when asked his name in the dock.
Mair was not required to enter a plea and the judge did not ask for one. Keith Allen, his attorney, said there was no indication of what plea would be entered.
Mair, 52, is accused of killing Cox, a member of Britain's Parliament, in a brazen attack Thursday in her district in northern England. She was stabbed and shot on a Birstall street after a meeting with her constituents.
Police said the suspect had been charged with murder, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offense and possession of an offensive weapon.
Authorities are also investigating whether Mair, who was arraigned Saturday, had ties to right-wing extremism. Details have begun to emerge about his interests in white supremacist and pro-apartheid groups.
West Yorkshire police said investigators are pursuing possible links to right-wing extremism, which police called a "priority line of enquiry which will help us establish the motive for the attack on Jo."
Why was Cox targeted?
Cox, a 41-year-old mother of two, was an avid campaigner for the rights of refugees. Her death comes a week before the so-called Brexit, a crucial referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union. She was an open supporter of remaining in the bloc.
Cox championed the rights of immigrants and in one of her last posts on social media, she said while immigration "is a legitimate concern," it's not a good reason for Britain to leave the EU.
One witness near the crime scene Thursday, said the gunman shouted "Put Britain first" several times before and after the shooting, the Press Association reported.
The killing has muted the tone of public discussions over the referendum, which has focused heavily on immigration.
Police said in a statement that the incident "appears to be an isolated, but targeted attack."
Authorities are also investigating how the suspect got a firearm and are looking into his mental health.
Mair may have had an interest in white supremacist groups, according to the U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Center which published what it says are documents showing his history of purchasing material from the National Alliance white supremacist organization.
The center released copies of receipts and a 2013 subscription to the National Alliance's publication National Vanguard as well as receipts from 1999 showing purchases for neo-Nazi book "Ich Kampfe," the "Improvised Munitions Handbook" and other books.
Mair also subscribed to a pro-apartheid group's magazine in the 1980s.
"A Mr. Thomas A. Mair from Batley in Yorkshire subscribed to our magazine S.A. Patriot when we were still published in South Africa itself," magazine editor A.D. Harvey told CNN, adding the publication had "no further contact with him" after brief correspondence in the mid-1980s.
"We were of course appalled and sickened to learn of the murder yesterday, of Ms. Jo Cox," Harvey said.
Cox was attacked outside the Birstall library after holding a regular public meeting with constituents, said Robert Light, a councilor from nearby Birkenshaw. Cox, a mother of two who represented Batley and Spen in Parliament, was elected in May 2015.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, center, joins other political leaders in paying their respects to slain Parliament member Jo Cox on Friday, June 17. Cox, 41, was stabbed and shot in Birstall, England, after a meeting with her constituents. A 52-year old man, Tommy Mair, is being held in police custody in connection with her death.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, center, joins other political leaders in paying their respects to slain Parliament member Jo Cox on Friday, June 17. Cox, 41, was stabbed and shot in Birstall, England, after a meeting with her constituents. A 52-year old man, Tommy Mair, is being held in police custody in connection with her death.
Parliament member Yvette Cooper, left, embraces Bishop Nick Baines after attending a Birstall vigil for Cox on Thursday, June 16.
Neighbors describe Mair as a loner and a "quiet" man who tended his garden and showed no particular political leanings. He kept to himself most of the time, but he engaged in conversations with neighbors when they spoke to him, they said.
Mair had lived in the house for a long time, one neighbor said. She didn't believe he had a regular job and saw him around at odd hours.
A half brother, Duane St Louis, told ITV News he'd never seen any sign that Mair had an interest in knives or guns, and said he had "never been in trouble" and "wouldn't hurt a fly."
Cox remembered
In a nation with tightly controlled gun laws and few homicides linked to weapons, Cox's attack was especially jarring.
Crowds gathered for vigils in Birstall and in London's Parliament Square to pay tribute to Cox.
On Friday afternoon, political rivals UK Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn united to pay respects to Cox, attending a memorial service in the heart of Birstall.
CNN's Angela Dewan, Faith Karimi, and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
6:59 AM ET, Sat June 18, 2016
The man charged in the killing of British politician Jo Cox appeared in a Westminster court Saturday with a message.
"My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain," Tommy Mair said when asked his name in the dock.
Mair was not required to enter a plea and the judge did not ask for one. Keith Allen, his attorney, said there was no indication of what plea would be entered.
Mair, 52, is accused of killing Cox, a member of Britain's Parliament, in a brazen attack Thursday in her district in northern England. She was stabbed and shot on a Birstall street after a meeting with her constituents.
Police said the suspect had been charged with murder, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offense and possession of an offensive weapon.
Authorities are also investigating whether Mair, who was arraigned Saturday, had ties to right-wing extremism. Details have begun to emerge about his interests in white supremacist and pro-apartheid groups.
West Yorkshire police said investigators are pursuing possible links to right-wing extremism, which police called a "priority line of enquiry which will help us establish the motive for the attack on Jo."
Why was Cox targeted?
Cox, a 41-year-old mother of two, was an avid campaigner for the rights of refugees. Her death comes a week before the so-called Brexit, a crucial referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union. She was an open supporter of remaining in the bloc.
Cox championed the rights of immigrants and in one of her last posts on social media, she said while immigration "is a legitimate concern," it's not a good reason for Britain to leave the EU.
One witness near the crime scene Thursday, said the gunman shouted "Put Britain first" several times before and after the shooting, the Press Association reported.
The killing has muted the tone of public discussions over the referendum, which has focused heavily on immigration.
Police said in a statement that the incident "appears to be an isolated, but targeted attack."
Authorities are also investigating how the suspect got a firearm and are looking into his mental health.
Mair may have had an interest in white supremacist groups, according to the U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Center which published what it says are documents showing his history of purchasing material from the National Alliance white supremacist organization.
The center released copies of receipts and a 2013 subscription to the National Alliance's publication National Vanguard as well as receipts from 1999 showing purchases for neo-Nazi book "Ich Kampfe," the "Improvised Munitions Handbook" and other books.
Mair also subscribed to a pro-apartheid group's magazine in the 1980s.
"A Mr. Thomas A. Mair from Batley in Yorkshire subscribed to our magazine S.A. Patriot when we were still published in South Africa itself," magazine editor A.D. Harvey told CNN, adding the publication had "no further contact with him" after brief correspondence in the mid-1980s.
"We were of course appalled and sickened to learn of the murder yesterday, of Ms. Jo Cox," Harvey said.
Cox was attacked outside the Birstall library after holding a regular public meeting with constituents, said Robert Light, a councilor from nearby Birkenshaw. Cox, a mother of two who represented Batley and Spen in Parliament, was elected in May 2015.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, center, joins other political leaders in paying their respects to slain Parliament member Jo Cox on Friday, June 17. Cox, 41, was stabbed and shot in Birstall, England, after a meeting with her constituents. A 52-year old man, Tommy Mair, is being held in police custody in connection with her death.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, center, joins other political leaders in paying their respects to slain Parliament member Jo Cox on Friday, June 17. Cox, 41, was stabbed and shot in Birstall, England, after a meeting with her constituents. A 52-year old man, Tommy Mair, is being held in police custody in connection with her death.
Parliament member Yvette Cooper, left, embraces Bishop Nick Baines after attending a Birstall vigil for Cox on Thursday, June 16.
Neighbors describe Mair as a loner and a "quiet" man who tended his garden and showed no particular political leanings. He kept to himself most of the time, but he engaged in conversations with neighbors when they spoke to him, they said.
Mair had lived in the house for a long time, one neighbor said. She didn't believe he had a regular job and saw him around at odd hours.
A half brother, Duane St Louis, told ITV News he'd never seen any sign that Mair had an interest in knives or guns, and said he had "never been in trouble" and "wouldn't hurt a fly."
Cox remembered
In a nation with tightly controlled gun laws and few homicides linked to weapons, Cox's attack was especially jarring.
Crowds gathered for vigils in Birstall and in London's Parliament Square to pay tribute to Cox.
On Friday afternoon, political rivals UK Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn united to pay respects to Cox, attending a memorial service in the heart of Birstall.
CNN's Angela Dewan, Faith Karimi, and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
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