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Alleged shooter of British MP Jo Cox has ties to neo-Nazi, white supremacy groups

He allegedly shouted the name of a right-wing political group during the attack.

By Ed Adamczyk
Members of the public lay flowers and read tributes to murdered Member of Parliament, 41-year-old Jo Cox, who was slain in the streets of her home constituency after providing help and advice to local people in Westminster, London. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
1 of 5 | Members of the public lay flowers and read tributes to murdered Member of Parliament, 41-year-old Jo Cox, who was slain in the streets of her home constituency after providing help and advice to local people in Westminster, London. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

BIRSTALL , England, June 17 (UPI) -- The man accused of fatally shooting British Member of Parliament Jo Cox had ties to a neo-Nazi group, a watchdog agency said, and allegedly shouted the name of a right-wing political group in the attack.

Witnesses said the man, identified in the British media as Tommy Mair, 52, waited for Cox to exit a library after she met with constituents in Birstall, a West Yorkshire.

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She was stabbed and shot, and some witnesses were quoted as saying they heard the assailant yell "Britain first!" during and after the attack, the name of a far-right organization with an anti-Muslim outlook.

Cox, 41, a Labor Party member, was a supporter of British multiculturalism, and a proponent of Britain remaining in the European Union. A wave of anti-immigrant sentiment is among the factors prompting support for a British exit from the EU; a referendum in Britain on the matter is scheduled for next week.

The U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist organizations around the world, said Mair was a supporter of the National Alliance, once a prominent white supremacist group in Britain. It added he sent $620 to the group to obtain books on making homemade weapons, including chemical-based weapons and improvised munitions. The weapon he allegedly used to shoot Cox was described by witnesses as antique or homemade.

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Police have not commented on the motive for Cox's slaying, but said the man arrested was the only suspect.

Her assassination shocked Britain, a country with stringent gun laws and little history of violent attacks on political leaders. As tributes to Cox poured in, Buckingham Palace and the prime minister's residence each flew flags at half-staff.

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called the death "cruel and terrible," adding it was critical Britain and the United States "stand together against hatred and violence." Former member of U.S. Congress Gabrielle Giffords, who herself was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011, called Cox "young, courageous and hardworking," saying she was "absolutely sickened" by news of her death.

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