Counterterrorism police officers have taken over the murder investigation into the death of the former British minister Ann Widdecombe, in a reversal from British law enforcement, which had previously said it had no evidence of a political motive in the case.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said that as a result of “new information and evidence,” specialist counterterrorism officers were “now leading on the investigation into the horrific murder.”
Ms. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her home in Haytor in Devon, southwest England, on Thursday having sustained serious injuries.
Writing on social media, Ms. Mahmood said that the police were “pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack,” and that her thoughts remained with the family and friends of Ms. Widdecombe, a long-serving British politician.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East said in a statement that a 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, had been rearrested “on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”
That is a significant change after Devon and Cornwall Police told reporters on Friday that Ms. Widdecombe’s death was not being treated as a terrorism case. The police also said at the time that they had no information to suggest a political motive — statements that were repeated over the weekend.
Ms. Widdecombe served as a minister in the Conservative government of John Major in the 1990s but more recently became a prominent member of Reform U.K., the populist right-wing party led by Nigel Farage, the pro-Brexit campaigner.
Several of his supporters have in recent days questioned the police account of the investigation and one senior figure, Zia Yusuf, has accused the British authorities of being unconcerned about the security of Reform U.K. politicians.
