Suspect in killing of British MP Jo Cox had links to US neo-Nazis: Rights group

BIRSTALL, England – Campaigning in Britain’s European Union membership referendum remained suspended Friday as the country paused in shock at the daylight slaying of lawmaker Jo Cox.

A U.S. civil rights group said the man suspected of the gun and knife attack had links to an American white supremacist organization.

WATCH: Tributes for murdered British MP. Jeff Semple reports.

2:06 Tributes for murdered British MP

The Southern Poverty Law Center said it has records showing Thomas Mair was a supporter of the National Alliance. The centre said Mair purchased a manual from the group in 1999 that included instructions on how to build a pistol.

On its website, the centre published copies of a receipt showing that a Thomas Mair of West Yorkshire – the county where Cox and her suspected killer both lived – bought publications including “Chemistry of Powder and Explosives” and “Improvised Munitions Handbook.”

The National Alliance was founded by William Pierce, whose book “The Turner Diaries” has been called a grisly blueprint for a bloody race war. Timothy McVeigh based the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, which killed 168 people, on a truck-bombing described in the book.

READ MORE: British MP Jo Cox dead following daytime shooting

Mair, 52, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing Cox, who was shot and stabbed outside a library in her northern England constituency. The suspect’s brother, Scott Mair, told reporters his brother had a history of mental illness, but was not violent.

Witnesses said Cox, a 41-year-old Labour Party legislator, was attacked by a man with a homemade or antique-looking gun. Clarke Rothwell, who runs a cafe near the scene of the slaying, said the assailant shouted “Britain first” or “put Britain first” several times.

On Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron and British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn laid flowers at a growing memorial where Cox was murdered.

Parliament was recalled from recess on Monday to pay tribute to slain lawmaker.

Cox was a former aid worker who had championed the cause of Syrian refugees and campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU when it votes in a referendum on Thursday.

WATCH: MP Jo Cox was just doing her job and meeting with constituents before the “rising star” in British politics was shot and stabbed in the street. Jeff Semple has the details from a community in mourning.

3:39 British MP Jo Cox killed on street in constituency

The referendum has sparked an intense debate about immigration and Britain’s place in the world. “Leave” campaigners have said voters should quit the EU to take their country back from bureaucrats in Brussels and curb large-scale immigration from other EU nations.

Both sides in the referendum have halted campaigning activity in the wake of Cox’s death, which shocked Britain. It’s not clear when the campaigns will resume.

Politicians from all parties have paid tribute to Cox, and Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has written to her husband, Brendan Cox. The couple had two young children.

Violence against British politicians has been rare since Northern Ireland’s peace deal two decades ago. Cox is the first serving lawmaker to be killed since 1990.

The killing has raised concerns about the safety of legislators.

READ MORE: Who is Jo Cox? British MP killed on West Yorkshire street

While Parliament is protected by armed police, lawmakers spend large amounts of time in their home districts, generally without dedicated security.

Since 2000, two lawmakers have been attacked and wounded while meeting with constituents.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said a reminder of safety guidance has been sent to members of Parliament, suggesting they go to local police if they have concerns.

“I know MPs are scared,” said Dan Jarvis, Labour member of Parliament for Barnsley Central in northern England. But he said lawmakers would continue to meet with constituents.

“We’ll be reviewing our security, but I’ll walk through Barnsley today like every Friday,” Jarvis said.

Many female lawmakers, in particular, say they have been subject to online abuse and threats, and a man was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of sending “malicious communication” to Cox.

London’s Metropolitan Police said the man received a police warning, and he “is not the man in custody” over Cox’s death.

2:09 UK’s leaders react to murder of British lawmaker Jo Cox

• UK’s leaders react to murder of British lawmaker Jo Cox
• Witness of British MP’s murder calls lawmaker ‘welcoming’
• ‘We express our deepest condolences’: NDP MP gives emotional tribute to British MP Jo Cox
• MPs hold moment of silence to honour British MP Jo Cox
• Gunman kills British MP Jo Cox dies in attack

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