Former politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe was killed in a “targeted attack,” though the motivation remains to be under investigation, British counterterror police said Tuesday.
A 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and terror crimes stays in custody on an prolonged detention warrant under the Terrorism Act that permits police to query him for up to a different week.
“It is obvious that this was a targeted attack,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing told reporters. “We’re still working to know the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.”
The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament, shocked the British political establishment, where she was long known for blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Counterterror police took over the investigation Monday after recent evidence was discovered. Devon and Cornwall Police have been criticized for originally saying the killing was not believed to be a terror-related crime and there was nothing to suggest it was politically motivated.
Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez defended her agency Tuesday, saying recent information often changes the character of a fast-paced investigation.
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Police imagine Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday just past noon. She failed to indicate up for a scheduled TV interview about an hour later and was found dead the subsequent day in her isolated rural home in a village in southwest England.
Police didn’t disclose a reason behind death, saying only that she had sustained “serious injuries.” Taylor called it a “brutal attack on a 78-year-old lady in her own residence.”
The suspect was arrested Saturday in South Yorkshire county in northern England, greater than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the village of Haytor on the sting of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe died.
Police have conducted extensive searches at his home and Taylor said they found evidence of planning, but he declined to supply details.
The person was arrested Saturday on suspicion of murder, but additional evidence found while he was in custody led police to rearrest him on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
The suspect has not been named because he has not been charged.
Widdecombe was within the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s Nineties Conservative government.
She found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the fact television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”
She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK party, often appearing within the media as a spokesperson.
The killing renewed concerns for politicians about security, which was tightened prior to now decade after the murders of two serving members of Parliament. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
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