UK Officials Say Ann Widdecombe Murdered In ‘Targeted Attack’

Officials in the United Kingdom said on July 14 that former British politician Ann Widdecombe was murdered in a “targeted attack” last week.

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Counterterror police also said authorities continued to investigate the incident into the former member of Parliament’s death, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The 78-year-old former Conservative Party cabinet minister and Reform UK spokeswoman was found dead in her Devon home on July 9 with a bloody head wound. Officials suspect she was attacked and killed the day prior.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack,” National Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor told the press, according to the AP. “We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.”

Police said they arrested a 28-year-old man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire on July 11 for suspicion of murder, the BBC reported. Counterterrorism police took him into custody again Monday after the unit took over the investigation on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism.

British officials said they had originally arrested a 26-year-old man on July 9, but later freed him on July 11, the BBC reported. (RELATED: Potential Future British Leader’s Resignation Sets Off Bizarre Fight)

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Taylor said Widdecombe’s murder “has not been declared a terrorist incident,” and the counter-terrorism unit is “running in parallel to the murder investigation” while “investigating terrorism offences,” the BBC reported.

Taylor said he did not want to speculate on the motive behind the alleged murder and would not “rule out anything.”

“There are multiple lines of inquiry that we are pursuing expeditiously, including digital forensic examinations,” the police official said.

When asked if the alleged murder was aimed at Reform UK, Taylor said he would not comment, according to the BBC.

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This is a developing story.