CCTV of man with 'wooden stick leaving house linked to Ann Widdecombe murder suspect'
Police have released CCTV footage that appears to show a man leaving an address in Rotherham around 7am on Wednesday morning, the day Ann Widdecombe was last seen alive. A neighbour told the publication "he had put a some kind of wooden stick in the passenger side of a car before driving off".
The 28-year-old suspect is believed to have driven around 270 miles to Devon on the day of the former MP's killing. Ann Widdecombe, aged 78, a former Conservative minister and later Reform UK spokesperson, was found dead at her home in Haytor on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries. Police confirmed she was attacked at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, almost 24 hours before her body was discovered.
The man was arrested on Saturday shortly after 9pm at an address in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, approximately four hours' drive from Ms Widdecombe's home. The arrest was carried out by officers from Counter Terrorism Police North East and South Yorkshire Police on behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police. Police confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.
The suspect has since been re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, allowing counter-terrorism police to take the lead. Head of UK counter-terrorism policing Laurence Taylor said: "Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation. We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack."
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman stated that officers "did not believe there was a threat to the wider public" and stressed there was "no information to suggest the attack on Widdecombe was terrorism-related". Police remain open-minded about the potential motive for the attack on the veteran politician, with Longman calling on anyone with information to come forward as a priority.