Counterterrorism police in the U.K. have now taken control of the investigation into the murder of former government minister Ann Widdecombe, a dramatic escalation after local police first insisted they had found no evidence of terrorism or political motivation.
The Murder
As reported on Tuesday’s AM Update, the 78 year old was found dead last Thursday inside her home in rural southwest England, about four hours west of London, after suffering what police described as serious injuries.
Widdecombe was a major figure in British conservative politics after serving more than 20 years in Parliament before building a second career as a television personality. She appeared on shows like Celebrity Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing, the British equivalent of Dancing with the Stars.
She later joined Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party focused heavily on reducing immigration and tightening Britain’s borders. Widdecombe never shied away from her conservative views on immigration, radical gender ideology, and Brexit to name a few.
Investigators believe Widdecombe was attacked around 12:30pm Wednesday, nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered. She last responded to a Whats App message from a television producer at 12:19pm but failed to join a Zoom link for an interview about a half hour later.
A household employee discovered her body at about 11:40am Thursday, according to The Guardian. The Sun reported Widdecombe sustained severe blunt trauma wounds to her head after being bludgeoned and was found covered in blood.
Police arrested a 26-year-old man near her home Friday and later released him. Authorities then apprehended a second person of interest Saturday night more than 250 miles away in South Yorkshire. The suspect has only been identified by police as a 28-year-old white British man who was initially detained on suspicion of murder.
Terrorism Ties
Initially, local police publicly dismissed suggestions Widdecombe had been targeted because of her politics, but the investigation took a sharp turn Monday when authorities announced new evidence had prompted Britain’s national counterterrorism unit to take the lead.
The 28-year-old man remains in custody and is now being held on suspicion of preparing, carrying out, or encouraging an act of terrorism. The country’s top domestic security official, Shabana Mahmood, told lawmakers Monday that the suspect was not known to Prevent, the government program aimed at identifying people considered vulnerable to radicalization.
She said National Counter Terrorism Policing is “pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack” and ordered a review of security protections for current and former politicians, while offering Reform UK leader Nigel Farage a meeting with security officials.
The Sun obtained surveillance video appearing to show the suspect leaving his home shortly before 8am Wednesday carrying a long object as he gets into a red car. The footage was captured roughly four and a half hours before Widdecombe is believed to have been attacked. The suspect would have had about a four-hour drive to her home.
The Analysis
On Tuesday’s edition of The Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn was joined by British political consultant and commentator Alex Phillips to discuss Widdecombe’s murder and the rise of left-wing political violence. Watch:
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Phillips by tuning in to episode 1,359 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.