Police say UK politician's killing was a 'targeted attack'

LONDON (AFP) — U.K. counterterrorism police Tuesday said the murder of veteran right-wing politician Ann Widdecombe was a “targeted attack,” as a 28-year-old man remained under arrest on suspicion of acts of “terrorism” and murder.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack,” head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor told reporters about the killing of the 78-year-old woman in her home last week, adding that officers were pursuing “multiple lines of inquiry.”

Widdecombe, a spokesperson for the hard-right Reform UK party and a former Conservative minister, was found dead in her home in Devon, southwest England on Thursday.

Counterterrorism police took over the investigation on Monday as a 28-year-old white British man was detained on suspicion of “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism” as well as suspicion of murder.

The man was first arrested on the weekend in Yorkshire in northern England, about 300 miles from Widdecombe’s home on suspicion of murder, before being rearrested as a terrorism suspect.

“We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack,” Taylor told reporters outside Scotland Yard.

He also said it was a “line of inquiry” whether the suspect was targeting other politicians who are part of Reform, the anti-immigration party led by pro-Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage.

Taylor uIrged the public to “think before sharing any unverified information” as the killing has garnered huge public interest.

Widdecombe, a Conservative lawmaker from 1987 to 2010, was known for her staunch Christian faith and outspoken views, becoming a household name after appearing on reality shows in the 2010s.

Widdecombe is the third U.K. politician murdered in an allegedly targeted attack this decade. Labour Party MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 by a neo-Nazi sympathizer, while Conservative lawmaker David Amess was killed in 2021 by an Islamic State group follower.

The government announced a multimillion-dollar package to boost security of elected lawmakers in 2024, saying they faced increasing threats including over their stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Addressing Parliament on Monday, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said the killing was a “dark day in our political life” and “raises questions about the security of those in public life” as well as that of former MPs.

Mahmood told lawmakers the suspect was not known to Prevent, the U.K.’s program for people at risk of being radicalized as extremists.

Mahmood also said she recognized “the particular concern that the Reform Party will feel today,” and offered Farage a meeting with the body that manages security for public figures.

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By Agence France-Presse