Police have reversed course in the killing of former UK lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, and are now treating her death as a suspected act of terrorism. Counter-terrorism officers took charge after what they described as "new information and evidence" emerged, days after Devon and Cornwall Police said there was no indication of political motivation, the Telegraph reports. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her rural Devon home on Thursday; investigators believe she was killed around midday the previous day.
- A 26-year-old man arrested on Friday was released without charges on Saturday. Later that day, a 28-year-old man was arrested in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, more than 250 miles away from Widdecombe's home. Police have described both men as white British nationals.
The man arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday was rearrested while still in custody on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, LBC reports. He was not known to Prevent, the government's counter-extremism scheme, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Parliament on Monday. The shift in the investigation follows CCTV footage published by the Sun that appeared to show a man linked to the suspect leaving a property hours before the killing, with neighbors reporting he put a "wooden pole" into a red car.
Widdecombe served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010. Years later, she joined the Brexit Party, which was later renamed Reform UK. Party officials, including deputy leader Richard Tice, earlier suggested Widdecombe's politics may have been a factor and accused police and the media of downplaying that possibility. Mahmood said she has offered party leader Nigel Farage a meeting over security for public figures and former MPs.
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