Counter Terrorism Police Investigating Ann Widdecombe Death
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Hello. So over the weekend, Laura and Paddy were covering some of the updates on the investigation into the death of Anne Widdicombe, the Reform UK spokesperson and former Conservative minister who was found dead at her home on Dartmoor on Thursday. Well, during the day on Monday, there have been some other big developments. First of all, the 28-year-old suspect who was arrested on Saturday has been re-arrested and the investigation is now being handled by counter-terrorism policing. Counterterrorism Policing South East said it's because new information had come to light during what they were describing as a dynamic and complex investigation. So we will discuss all of those developments on this latest episode of Newscast.
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Thinking about it like a panto helped. Do we play music now or what do we do? Hello, it's Adam in the Newscast studio. And it is Chris at Westminster. And we're joined down the line by Danny Shaw, the Home Affairs and Police and Commentator who used to work here at the BBC. Hi, Danny. Hi, Adam. Hi, Chris. Hi. Chris, I'm just thinking that this story about Anne Widdicombe's death has gone through so many different kind of versions almost, if I could put it that way, from the tributes on Friday morning when people thought it was just a sad, untimely death to the fact that it was then a murder investigation which didn't have any kind of political or terror angle to it to where we are now on Monday afternoon and counterterrorism policing are investigating it now.
Yeah, exactly that, Adam. And I think for people watching on at Westminster, and most acutely for her friends and neighbours and family, that sense of trying to manage the emotions as information has emerged. So as you say, on Friday morning, that sense of loss of somebody of a reasonable age, if not in her 80s or 90s, she's 78 years old, people reflecting in a way that conventionally happens when people are no longer around, followed by that push alert that people have seen on their phones on Friday afternoon, what was it, about half three, four o'clock on Friday afternoon, with it becoming a murder investigation. And the statements from the police, which were never categoric, but said at various points over the weekend that there wasn't evidence at that point that it was either politically motivated or that there was a terrorism aspect to it.
And
So, Danny, we shouldn't speculate when we don't have the information in front of us. But what might be some reasons or have been reasons in the past when an investigation switches from a murder investigation with no political or terrorism component to actually being an investigation by counterterrorism looking at terrorism?
Well, I think it's important just to point out with this investigation what the police have said, because they've specifically said that they're still trying to establish the motivation of the attack and they're looking at multiple lines of inquiry. So I think it's important to point that out. And there is still a murder investigation. The suspect is still being held on suspicion of murder. But alongside that, his rearrest under the 2000 Terrorism Act for the Commission Preparation or Instigation of Acts of Terrorism suggests to me that they have uncovered some evidence or have... new information, perhaps it's come about from searches of his property, items there, computers, documents, or looking further into the suspect's background that suggests that there may be allegations related to terrorism that may be separate to the attack in Devon on Anne Widdicombe.
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