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Man charged with murder of British lawmaker Jo Cox

Saturday, 18 June 2016 4:03 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 18 June 2016 8:13 AM ]

People light candles at the tributes in Parliament Square in central London on June 17, 2016 in remembrance of Labour MP Jo Cox who was killed on a street in Birstall on June 16. (AFP photo)

A man has been charged with the murder of British politician and lawmaker Jo Cox, police said.

Labour MP Cox, 41, was killed Thursday in her district in northern England, where she had been running a constituency surgery.

She was shot several times and stabbed on a street in Birstall and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Thomas Mair, 52, was charged with “murder, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon,” West Yorkshire police said in a statement early on Saturday.

Mair will appear in London's Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday. He is suspected of having ties with white supremacist and pro-apartheid groups.

The brazen attack against Cox has shocked England which is known for its tight gun laws.

People light candles in Parliament Square in central London on June 17, 2016 in remembrance of Jo Cox. (AFP photo)

A 77-year-old man, who tried to help Cox, also “sustained a serious injury to his abdomen,” police said.

Parliament was recalled on Friday and campaigning in the EU referendum was suspended for the second day over the death of Cox, who was an outspoken “Remain” campaigner.

Prime Minister David Cameron described Cox as one of parliament’s “most passionate and brilliant campaigners,” adding it was time for the UK to “treasure and value our democracy.”