To neighbors, Tommy Mair is the “quiet” man who tended their gardens in the small town of Birstall in the north of England.
To police, the 52-year-old is the prime suspect in the unprovoked killing of Jo Cox, a local British lawmaker described as a “fearless campaigner’ and “star” of the opposition Labour Party. He was arrested just blocks from the crime scene.
Cox was shot and stabbed as she emerged from a meeting with her constituents on Thursday in a rare attack that comes one week before an increasingly divisive vote on whether Britain should cut ties with Europe.
Now evidence is emerging that Mair may have had an interest in white supremacy. The U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Center has published what it says are documents showing that Mair has a history of purchasing material from the National Alliance white supremacist organization, based in the United States.
The SPLC published copies of receipts and a 2013 subscription to the NA’s publication National Vanguard, as well as receipts from 1999 showing purchases for a neo-nazi book “Ich Kampfe” and the “Improvised Munitions Handbook,” along with other books.
Link to referendum?
But it is still to early to know what exactly motivated the attack, which came as the 41-year-old lawmaker campaigned for “Stronger In,” a slogan backing the UK to remain in the European Union in a referendum to be held next week.
Cox was an avid campaigner for the rights of refugees and played down fears of immigration, a hot-button issue in the referendum debate.
One witness, Clarke Rothwell who runs a cafe near where Cox was attacked, told the Press Association that he heard the attacker shouting “put Britain first.”
“Britain First” is the name of a political party in the UK which has been campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union.
On Thursday, the party’s leader Paul Golding, denied it was linked to the attack, calling the act “a downright despicable act of criminality.”
“There’s no evidence whatsoever that Britain First was shouted. Or putting British people first,” he said in a lengthy video posted to Facebook.
“The media are acting grossly irresponsible to try and incriminate our organization Britain First in this heinous crime. We had nothing to do with it,” he said.
‘Never been in trouble’
West Yorkshire police said they had seized a number of weapons including a firearm shortly after the attack.
Mair’s half brother Duane St Louis has told ITV news he’d never seen any sign that Mair had an interest in knives or guns.
Asked whether Mair was racist, St Louis said “no chance.” He said Mair had “never been in trouble” and that “he wouldn’t hurt a fly,” ITV reported.
St Louis said he’d last seen Mair three weeks ago. He said he’d spoken to Mair’s mother after the attack, and said she was “shocked and can’t understand what happened.”
Mental health issues?
Six years ago, Mair was quoted in the local newspaper regarding his work as a volunteer at Oakwell Hall, a manor house popular with tourists in Birstall.
Mair reportedly told the Huddersfield Examiner report that voluntary work had “done me more good than all the psychotherapy and medication in the world.”
“Many people who suffer from mental illness are socially isolated and disconnected from society, feelings of worthlessness are also common, mainly caused by long-term unemployment,” he was quoted as saying.
Mair learned about the volunteering opportunity from the Mirfield-based Pathways Day Centre for adults with mental health problems, according to the paper.
‘Quiet’ resident
Neighbors in Birstall expressed surprised that Mair, a long-term resident who lived on his own, could be involved in the attack.
“He’s just quiet. He kept himself to himself. He lived by himself. He’s been on his own for about 20 years,” David Pickles told the Press Association.
“I’ve never seen a lot of people visiting or anything like that, but he likes gardening. He did a lot of people’s gardens round here. But he did it quietly,” he added.
Police cordoned off a house around 15 minutes’ walk from the attack site, which neighbors said belonged to Mair. Officers could be seen coming and going from the property.
Police have yet to charge Mair, who was taken in custody soon after being pinned to the group by officers soon after the attack in a nearby street.