Ann Widdecombe’s murder investigation becomes terror probe as suspect re-arrested

Counter-terrorism detectives are leading the investigation into the murder of veteran politician Ann Widdecombe after “new information and evidence” emerged marking a major escalation in the investigation into the former MP’s death.

The 28-year-old suspect, who was first captured on Saturday, was re-arrested on suspicion of committing, preparing or instigating terrorist acts.

He is believed to have traveled almost 300 miles after he was seen on CCTV climbing into a red car with a wooden stick in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Wednesday morning, according to reports.

The 78-year-old politician was found seriously injured at his remote home in Devon at 11.40am the next morning.

Police had claimed as recently as Sunday that there was no reason to believe the attack on the former Conservative prisons minister and Reform party spokesman was linked to terrorism.

Laurence Taylor, head of the national counter-terrorism police, confirmed his officers would now lead the investigation, saying: “We are carrying out a number of investigations to establish the motivation for this attack.

“Our priority is to move this investigation forward quickly with all the means at our disposal. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police.”

“We thank local communities, the public and the media for their ongoing support and patience and ask that they continue to support us through the next phase of the investigation.”

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood confirmed the man in custody was not recognized by the government’s counter-extremism programme, Prevent.

He told the House of Commons that police planned to issue new security guidance to MPs soon, adding that it would look at “what kind of security guidance could be provided to former members of parliament”.

The attack on Widdecombe came just a week after a televised video tour of Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor, Dartmoor.

Section Famous Yorkshire Auction House It was recorded in 2022 when he invited cameras onto the property, but was rebroadcast on Quest on Thursday, July 2, at 6pm, according to listings.

In the show, the former Maidstone and Weald MP gives homeowner Angus Ashworth a guided tour of his home, which he bought for around £600,000 in 2008, including his library and some antiques.

The property, which he calls “Widdecombe’s Rest”, is located on a quiet crossroads at the top of the village, with views across the Teign estuary for miles.

Surrounded by manicured lawns, the house has an outdoor swimming pool with a slide at the back of the house, which he reportedly paid for with the money he earned. Definitely Come Dance In 2010.

Okehampton U3A president Dee McVey revealed he invited Widdecombe to visit a local horse stable on the day of his death.

The women had become friends after he invited the politician to speak at an event at the Union Inn in Moretonhampstead a few weeks ago.

“She was an amazing woman,” Ms. McVey said. Independent. “He gave many speeches for U3A and it was always free, he would often sell books at meetings and give his profits to U3A. He was very generous and very kind. He became a friend of mine.

“He loved horses. He was coming to a race meeting at the end of October and he was looking forward to it so much. He had stables behind his house. He used to have a horse.”

“What upset me was that we had actually organized a regular visit for last Wednesday and he couldn’t come because he had TV work.”

Recent messages previously revealed Widdecombe stopped responding minutes before police thought he had been attacked around 12.30am on Wednesday, around 24 hours before he was found dead. He was due to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright program when he suddenly stopped responding to a producer, according to ITV News.

Counter Terrorism Police’s latest announcement comes as officers working in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police continue to question the white British suspect.

He was first arrested at 9pm on Saturday at a terraced property on Byrley Road in the Kimberworth Park area of ​​Rotherham, hundreds of kilometers from the scene of the attack. CCTV footage published by Sky News shows the shirtless suspect being led out in handcuffs.

The new arrest is likely to give officers longer to question him, as suspects can be held without charge for up to 14 days under the Terrorism Act.

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage was accused of using Widdecombe’s death as “political propaganda” after he said he believed the incident was “premeditated murder”.

Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, a close friend of Widdecombe, said: Times: “Ann Widdecombe was too valuable to her family, friends and former colleagues for her murder to be used as political propaganda.

“Police have clearly asked the public not to speculate about the cause of the incident, so it is deeply disappointing that Nigel Farage has chosen to do exactly that.”

Mr Farage hit back and said: “Harvey was very close to Ann – I know she was upset but I was really careful not to get political.

“What I said was very clear, I said I wasn’t going to speculate whether it was someone with a grudge, whether it was someone with a mental health issue, whether it was someone with political issues.

“I also said that I don’t believe for a second that there was a burglary gone wrong, and I’m 100 percent sure I was right about that.”

The reform leader has faced mounting criticism in recent weeks after it was revealed he failed to declare a £5 million gift given to him by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before he became an MP.

Mr Farage initially said the money was used to fund his personal security due to threats to his safety.

A source said mail on sunday He said Widdecombe’s family “did not want his death to be hijacked for political purposes” and were “very uneasy” about Mr Farage’s presence at the scene of the inquest.

A Labor Party spokesman called on Mr Farage to “wake up” and realize that the public expects politicians to be held to account for their actions.

“Farage is not a war criminal, but he is trying to evade scrutiny over a secret £5 million ‘gift’ from a crypto billionaire and undeclared donations from a convicted fraudster, and it makes perfect sense that people are asking him about this,” they added.

“Farage may try to distract, but increasingly the public can see that he is in it for himself and doesn’t think the rules apply to him.”

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle paid tribute to Widdecombe, whom he described as both “fierce” and “principled”, while urging MPs not to say anything that could harm future hearings.

Sir Lindsay told MPs: “I would like to pay tribute to Ann Widdecombe, who died in tragic, extremely troubling circumstances last week. Ann was a terrific politician, a prominent figure in public life.”