Murdered British ex-minister killed in ‘targeted attack,’ say counterterror police

British counterterrorism police say that former government minister Ann Widdecombe, who was found murdered at her home last week, was clearly targeted, adding that officers are still working to establish the motive.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack. We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counter terrorism policing, tells reporters.

Local police arrested a white British man late on Saturday on suspicion of her murder. Counterterrorism officers, who took over the investigation yesterday, have since rearrested him on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Widdecombe, 78, who was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, was found dead at her home in rural southwest England last Thursday with what police described as “serious injuries.” She resigned from parliament in 2010.