[sDePrx59]

'Assassin stabbed MP over Iraq war'

By MIKE SULLIVAN
Published: Today

A FEMALE assassin in black clothing, a headscarf and veil stabbed MP Stephen Timms twice in revenge for voting for the Iraq war, a court heard yesterday.

Student Roshonara Choudhry, 21, approached the Labour politician with her left hand outstretched. As he stood to greet her, she used her other hand to plunge a knife into his stomach, the Old Bailey heard. The court heard that Mr Timms asked Choudhry: "Why did you do that?" - before she stabbed him again. She later told police she intended to kill former Treasury minister Mr Timms, MP for East Ham, East London, as a punishment for his stance on the war.



Victim ... Stephen Timms

She told cops: "I was hoping to get revenge for the people of Iraq. I was not going to stop until someone made me. I wanted to kill him." Mr Timms was taken to hospital after the alleged attack at a constituency surgery in Beckton - eight days after the general election last May. He had the largest Labour majority in the country.

Choudhry, of East Ham, refused to attend the hearing and her lawyer told jurors she does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court. Jeremy Dein QC said: "Ms Choudhry does not wish us to challenge the evidence and does not wish to give evidence. "In those circumstances, we don't propose to play any active part in this trial." Choudhry has previously denied attempted murder and possessing offensive weapons.

The MP told the court he was sitting at a desk when Choudhry approached and motioned for her to sit on a chair. He said: "She didn't sit down. She continued to come forward. I thought she was coming to shake my hand. She looked friendly and was smiling." Mr Timms said Choudhry then lunged at him. An assistant grabbed the knife. The trial is expected to end today.

[Baromaro]

Stephen Timms knife attack: CCTV shows moment Muslim woman stabs MP

This is the moment caught on CCTV when Roshonara Choudhry stabbed former Labour minister Stephen Timms in the stomach.

By Caroline Gammell
Published: 3:09PM GMT 02 Nov 2010



CCTV shows Roshonara Choudhry, right, waiting to meet Stephen Timms. Her right hand is concealed Photo: Metropolitan Police




Choudhry, bottom left, reveals her right hand Photo: Metropolitan Police




The knife in Choudhry's hand, bottom left of picture Photo: Metropolitan Police




Choudhry is restrained Photo: Metropolitan Police




Anwar al-Awlaki is thought to be hiding in southern Yemen Photo: AP




Mr Timms, Labour MP for East Ham Photo: REUTERS

Armed with a three-inch kitchen knife, the 21-year-old student smiled before plunging the knife twice into the MP. Grainy images filmed in the local community centre and released on Tuesday show Choudhry walking up to Mr Timms’ desk.

They emerged at the end of a two-day trial in which she was convicted of attempted murder and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon. Choudhry refused to go to the Old Bailey because she did not accept the authority of the court and will be sentenced via videolink on Wednesday.

The CCTV footage of the attack showed her wearing floor length black Islamic robes, her head covered by a scarf and her face can be clearly seen. With a bag slung casually over her shoulder, the bespectacled Choudhry strolled up to the desk after her name was called out.

Instead of sitting in front of the MP, she moved round to the side of the desk as if to shake hands, but was in fact holding a knife in her left hand.
As he offered his hand, she decided to strike. In one image, the blade can be clearly seen as she moved towards Mr Timms.

The footage was edited so that actual impact of the stabbing was not shown in court, but the jury was given stills from the CCTV. From these pictures, the MP could be seen to recoil from the attack and fall away from Choudhry. The whole attack lasted little more than a second before the attacker was hauled away by Faisall Butt, a security guard.

The images showed her being grabbed around the shoulders and others in the community centre looked on in horror. A mother standing behind a pushchair half turned in disbelief as she witnessed the attack. Andrew Bazeley, Mr Timms’ assistant, also saw the attack and managed to prise the weapon from Choudhry’s hand.

Inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, the US born radical al-Qaeda cleric, the student launched her attack less than a week after the General Election. She told police she wanted to "punish" Mr Timms for supporting the Iraq war. Analysis of her computer revealed that she had also lined up a hit list of other MPs to target by researching their voting records.

When she was searched, a knife with a five-inch blade was found wrapped in a red towel in her bag. She told police she she had taken two knives - which were found to have been both newly purchased and "razor sharp" - in case one broke during the attack. She said she had chosen to stab him in the stomach because she was not strong and it was a soft part of the body.