LONDON—British Labour lawmaker Jo Cox has been injured in a shooting near Leeds, the Press Association reported Thursday.
West Yorkshire police said a 52-year-old man was arrested after the incident. Police said a man in his late 40s to early 50s also suffered slight injuries.
Police labelled the incident as “serious,” but didn’t immediately identify the victim or provide any more details.
The PA was quoting eyewitness Hithem Ben Abdallah as saying Cox got involved in a scuffle between two men in the village of Birstall, 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of London.
Abdallah said one of the men was fighting with Cox and then a gun went off twice and “she fell between two cars and I came and saw her bleeding on the floor.”
After around 15 minutes, the shop owner said emergency services arrived and tended to her with a drip.
Cox’s assistant confirmed to the PA she had been attacked.
British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted he was “very concerned about reportsJo Cox has been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jo and her family.”
Cox, 41, was elected to the House of Commons only last year and represents a constituency in Yorkshire, northern England, for the main opposition Labour Party.
Cox has made finding a solution to the Syrian civil war a top priority and has been critical of Britain’s reluctance to deepen its military involvement against Islamic State extremists as part of that effort.
In recent weeks she has been campaigning for Britain to remain in the European Union ahead of the country’s June 23 referendum.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was “utterly shocked by the news of the attack on Jo Cox. The thoughts of the whole Labour Party are with her and her family at this time.”
Friends Read Free