Social media post ‘celebrating’ Ann Widdecombe’s death being investigated by police

Police are investigating reports of a social media post celebrating the death of Ann Widdecombe, who was killed in a “targeted attack”.

Former MP Miss Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, Devon, last Thursday.

On Tuesday, a Police Scotland spokesman confirmed the force was reviewing a post allegedly made by a University of Aberdeen employee claiming the former MP’s murder was “good news” and that they hoped it would be an “extremely painful death”.

Police said: “We received reports of a post made online on Saturday 11 July.

“Additional investigations are being conducted following further assessments.”

A university spokesperson said: “Comments shared are entirely personal and do not represent the views of the University of Aberdeen.

“We do not condone any form of violence or hateful behavior.

“We are co-operating with Police Scotland as they carry out their investigation and are unable to comment further.”

Ann Widdecombe death inquest

Police said it was “clear” the murder of Ann Widdecombe was targeted and officers were given more time to question the main suspect about the death.

Specialist counter-terrorism officers led the investigation after detectives discovered material suggesting political ideology may have been a factor in motivation.

In an update on Tuesday, Counter Terrorism Police chief Laurence Taylor said it was “clear that this was a targeted attack”.

He said detectives were still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation behind the attack.

He said investigators “kept an open mind” about whether foreign government intervention played a role and declined to draw on any theories about the motivation for the killing.

A 28-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder in Rotherham on Saturday was later re-arrested on suspicion of carrying out, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism.

Under the Terrorism Act, suspects can now be held for questioning for up to seven days.