Police have announced a chilling development in the investigation of Ann Widdecombe’s death. The incident is now being pursued as an act of terrorism.

The 78-year-old former minister’s murder, which occurred in Devon, last week, has drawn the attention of Counter Terrorism Policing. Specialist officers have assumed control over the investigation, indicating the severity of the allegations.

Authorities arrested a 28-year-old man from Rotherham on suspicion of murder just last Saturday. The man, identified as a white British national, remains in custody while the investigation unfolds.

Evidence influential to the case includes CCTV footage depicting the suspect on the day of the alleged crime. He was captured entering his vehicle with a conspicuous baton or pole, extending more than a foot long, protruding from his left pocket at that time.

The circumstances surrounding Ms. Widdecombe’s death are further compounded by a recent media appearance. Merely five days before her untimely demise, she showcased her £600,000 Dartmoor residence in a televised program. The broadcast detailed various parts of her home, including the kitchen—where her body was later found—and provided a view of the front entrance, driveway, and the surrounding grounds.

The suspect, who the Daily Mail is not naming, was arrested after a dozen armed officers descended on his council house in South Yorkshire. Until today, Devon and Cornwall Police had insisted there was no evidence to suggest the killing was politically motivated.

But in a dramatic twist, the suspect has now been re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said new information and evidence had come to light, prompting it to take over the investigation. The nature of that new evidence or information has not been revealed.

Specialist officers from across the UK Counter Terrorism Policing network have been working alongside Devon and Cornwall Police since a murder inquiry was launched last week.

Laurence Taylor, the head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, 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 leading the investigation.

‘We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack.

‘Our priority is to progress this investigation as quickly as possible, using all the capabilities available to us. If anyone has information, we urge them to contact police.

‘We would like to thank local communities, the wider public and the media for their ongoing support and patience, and ask them to continue supporting us during the next stage of the investigation.’

Officers were called to Ms Widdecombe’s home at Haytor, Devon, by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday, July 9.

Sadly, the former Tory MP was found dead inside the property with serious injuries. She may have been deceased for around 24 hours. 

The former minister showcased her home on Quest’s Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House on July 2 – though the episode was filmed in 2022. 

Ms Widdecombe gave a guided tour of the property to host Angus Ashworth and told him how much she loved the ‘peace, quiet and solitude in the area’.

The show sees Mr Ashworth and his team help famous faces clear their homes of clutter.

Ms Widdecombe showed the auctioneer around her garden, conservatory, gym, library, dining room and the kitchen where she was found dead last week. 

The Tory MP poignantly described how happy she was to have retired to the home, close to ‘the idyllic Devonshire coast’.

She added: ‘I came down here quite deliberately to be as remote as I could, as was sensible.

‘I’ve got what I want, which is peace, quiet, solitude. Of course, I’m friendly with some of the neighbours. I’m not a recluse.’

While there is no suggestion that the TV appearance led to her death or inspired any attacker, a former counter-terrorism detective at Scotland Yard said that ‘unscrupulous’ individuals do target homes in this way.

David Videcette, who investigated the 7/7 bombings said: ‘This sort of thing is a real problem nowadays. There’re plenty of free tools for unscrupulous individuals to identify where you live from a photo or video, there’s even more when you’re prepared to pay.’

Ms Widdecombe made £1,445 from selling items in her home at auction, including a rare Japanese dish and a teddy bear.

‘Part of the retirement plan was to have a clear-out of old things,’ she said.

On the day Ms Widdecombe died, the suspect was filmed climbing into a red hatchback before allegedly travelling some 267 miles – a journey of around five hours – to her remote property.

Police believe the former Tory minister, who was found dead the following morning, was killed shortly after midday on Wednesday.

Neighbours described the man held over her death as recluse and an unemployed ‘loner’ who rarely left home.

The added that he had become increasingly introverted following his father’s death last year.

But early on Wednesday morning, the suspect, who lived alone, was spotted on CCTV leaving his terraced home and getting into a run-down vehicle parked on the driveway.

‘He comes out of the house and walks towards the red car,’ said a neighbour familiar with the footage, which has been shared with police.

They said he appeared to be carrying a stick concealed under his top before placing it inside the car. 

‘It looked like a wooden stick or an iron bar, about a foot long, and it was pushing up underneath his T-shirt as he got into the car,’ the person added.

‘He seemed calm and there is nothing to suggest anything unusual was happening.’

Ms Widdecombe’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief with tributes to the former Tory minister. 

On Monday, Jeremy Vine broke down on live TV today over the alleged murder of his close friend and regular guest.

The broadcaster wiped away tears as he revealed that a member of his team had been in contact with the former Tory minister ‘by chance’ on the day she died.

Ms Widdecombe appeared on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine Show more than 50 times and was also a regular on his BBC Radio 2 programme.

Forensic officers were still searching the man’s mid-terraced address in the Rotherham’s Kimberworth Park area on Sunday as uniformed officers stood guard outside.

Neighbours said around a dozen armed officers had surrounded the property at around 9pm on Saturday before knocking loudly at the door.

Courtney Foster, 25, who lives next door with partner Rayed Astle, 26, said: ‘We were in the kitchen and just saw the officers running up. Some were armed. Then they banged on the door very loudly.

‘They didn’t smash the door down because he opened it. They asked him his name, he confirmed it and they took him away.’

Ms Foster said police also took the man’s pet labradoodle, adding: ‘There were about 12 officers and quite a few cars. It was quite a shock.’

Describing the man, Mr Astle said that he had barely spoken to anyone since his father, who he had moved in with around a year ago, died last December.

‘He was someone you’d have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died. He became very quiet. He kept himself to himself and wouldn’t really speak to anyone,’ he added.

Ms Foster added: ‘He was always in the house and I don’t think he worked.’

Other neighbours said the man’s red Vauxhall Corsa ‘barely moved’ from the drive – to the extent it had begun to rust with weeds growing on it.

‘The car was normally left outside for long periods, so it just stood out that he was driving away so early in the morning,’ one added.

Another local said: ‘He is one of three brothers but the others moved out, so he was living on his own.

‘His father died before Christmas and I think it affected him. He seemed to change because he became even more introverted.

‘You would barely see him – to the point where you’d presume the house was unoccupied. Now and again you’d see the upstairs light on but that was it.’

Another resident, who witnessed the arrest, said: ‘The police came at about 9.10pm. There were about a dozen officers armed with guns, both in the front garden and the back garden.

‘They knocked on the door and he opened up. They asked his name and he was taken away.

‘It was quite quiet, really. There was no commotion… It was very quiet how they turned up. There was no lights, no noise – our Ring doorbell didn’t even go off.’

Neighbour Kingsley Whybrow, 29, said: ‘I’ve never seen anyone come in and out of that house, ever.

‘He drove a red Corsa that was parked outside – it had started to rust and there was vegetation growing on it. They came at about 3am to tow it away.’

One of the man’s brothers is believed to live in Devon, while a second brother and his mother, who is thought to have worked as a teaching assistant, are said to live locally.

Ms Widdecombe had stopped responding to text messages regarding a TV interview around the time police believe she had been attacked.

She had been due to appear remotely as a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show when she suddenly stopped responding to a producer at 12.19pm, according to ITV News.

The messages show she did not open a reply timestamped 12.48pm asking her to join the Zoom meeting which she failed to attend.

Reform UK is said to be reviewing emails sent to Ms Widdecombe in the weeks before her murder in search for any threats against her life.

The party has also said it is committed to providing round-the-clock security to its MPs in the wake of her death.

Tragic news emerged as actor Josh Grisetti was confirmed to have died by suicide on Friday. The announcement came from his friend, Broadway performer Rob McClure. Grisetti was 44 years old.

“With a heart heavy with sorrow, I must tell you that the immensely talented Josh Grisetti ended his life on Friday,” McClure shared on Instagram this Sunday. His post included a series of heartfelt photos of their times together.

“I’m not ready to even attempt to understand. My heart is with his wife and family as they try to deal with the reality of this,” the “Good Fight” actor, also 44, added.

“Some of my most cherished memories involve this amazing man,” McClure continued. “I had the privilege of playing his brother onstage for many years, watching him inspire countless students while revitalizing the Musical Theatre program at Cal State Fullerton, and standing by his side as the Best Man at his wedding.”

McClure revealed that both he and his wife, Maggie Lakis, are deeply shaken and “beyond heartbroken” by this devastating loss.

“Communities around the world will never be the same without him. We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss,” he wrote.

The “I’m Not Rappaport” star concluded his tribute by telling fans that info about Grisetti’s memorial will “come in time.”

In the comments section of McClure’s post, several stars penned their condolences.

“My sincerest sympathies 💔 sending so much love and care to his nearest and dearest,” wrote Ariana DeBose.

“❤️,” added Rachel Zegler.

This story is being updated…

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Haunting images have emerged, depicting a desperate attempt by British wildfire victims to escape along dirt tracks, before a deadly blaze in Spain closed in around them, leaving no path forward.

The photographs show a gutted, charred vehicle in which four British nationals are tragically believed to have perished. Trapped by fierce flames during their evacuation, they were unable to outrun the inferno.

The fire erupted late last Thursday in a semi-arid region near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in Almería province, resulting in at least 12 fatalities.

Nearby, five other burned-out cars and a motorbike stood as grim markers of the devastation. All were abandoned together on a hillside dirt track near Bedar, marking the site of the catastrophic loss of life.

A witness who accessed the grim scene described the aftermath starkly: “It looks like the devil has passed through here.”

Four were skeletal wrecks and only two cars were still in one piece, although their paintwork had been damaged by the high fire temperatures.

One charred chassis had been left in the opposite direction to the rest, appearing to indicate the terrified driver had made a desperate attempt to turn back and leave the way he had come after unintentionally heading into a wall of flames.

More than 500 firefighters were continuing to tackle the devastating blaze this morning, as it emerged the number of people evacuated from their homes had risen to just over 1,400. 

Regional government chiefs have said they expect 11 of the 12 people known to have died so far will be identified as foreigners, ‘probably British and Belgians’.

In the early hours of Friday morning, a British couple were found alive down a ravine, with 40 per cent burns and semi-conscious.

The pair, who were feared dead, were rushed to hospital and have reportedly been transferred from a facility in Almeria to a specialist major burns unit in Seville.

Pedro Barre, one of the police officers who helped rescue them, said: ‘From the experience that builds up over time, there’s something that tells you: “Go back and look again, try one more time.”‘

‘We heard a very faint sound, very far away but thought initially it was an echo.’

Police specialists tried to identify the 12 people killed in the fire on Sunday – after post-mortems the previous day on their badly-burnt bodies failed to determine even their gender. 

The High Court of Andalucia said late on Saturday night: ‘The Institute of Legal Medicine of Almería has already received the bodies of the twelve people who died in the Los Gallardos fire.

‘Autopsies have already been performed on all of them.

‘Throughout the late morning and afternoon, more bodies continued to arrive at the Institute of Legal Medicine, and the forensic experts were able to perform autopsies on all of them.

‘The biological samples collected from each of them were transported to Madrid by a Civil Guard helicopter at 7.30pm.

‘No one has yet been identified, and it is not currently possible to determine either the age or the sex of the deceased.

‘The Biology Department of the Civil Guard’s Criminalistics Service will analyse all the collected samples at its headquarters in Madrid in order to identify the bodies.

‘As for missing persons’ reports, five more were filed during the afternoon, bringing the total number of missing persons’ reports to seven.’

Several worried Brits took to social media over the weekend to say loved ones were missing and pleaded for information.

Danielle Gillan-Kirton said in an appeal she posted on expat Facebook sites: ‘My parents, Pete and Fran Gillam live in Bedar and we are trying to get in touch with them to make sure they are OK.

‘My mum texted me at 6.53pm on Thursday to say they were evacuating due to the wildfires. None of our messages or calls since have been successful.’

Another relative said further checks had been made with a council-run sports centres where many of the survivors had been evacuated, but the expat couple were not there and there have been no further updates overnight.

Elle Louise Warner, who hails from Harlow, Essex, but is now one of the 17,000 British nationals registered as living in Almeria, said in a social media post late last night: ‘Pete and Fran are wonderful patients of mine and this is heartbreaking.

‘If anyone knows anything, please get in touch! It is awful what is happening right now.’

It emerged the large number of Brits from Bedar and surrounding areas taken to alternative accommodation elsewhere included a group of seven women who jetted to Spain on Saturday for a hen do.

They had rented a farmhouse in Bedar for their sunshine getaway but instead ended up being taken by bus to the nearby coastal resort of Garrucha where the council is putting up people who have been evacuated from their homes.

They have now relocated to a hotel ahead of their return to the UK on Tuesday.

One of the women admitted: ‘We were travelling and hadn’t seen the news. We’re in shock. When we arrived and saw what was happening we were crying.’

Tourist Paul Tweddle and his wife Lesley, from Leicester, were evacuated from a tourist complex they were staying at to the Garrucha centre but are now in another hotel.

Paul told Spanish news website El Español: ‘This certainly wasn’t the holiday we were expecting, but these things happen.

‘We will return to Spain because we love it, and the truth is that the service we have received has been excellent.’

Confirming at least four British nationals appeared to be among the dead, Andalucia’s acting Regional Minister for Health, the Presidency and Emergencies Antonio Sanz said on Saturday: ‘Unfortunately the decision of some people to take evacuation routes that weren’t those indicated by the emergency services and take an alternative route became a mortal trap.

‘There were two scenarios like that specifically.

‘One was a vehicle in which four people died with everything pointing to them being of British origin.

‘Their steering wheel was on the other side to the side they normally are in Spain.

‘Then another seven people died in another scenario. They were walking and had abandoned their cars and were probably looking for a way out.

‘But they had taken a route which wasn’t the one indicated by the emergency services and the consequences have been terrible.’

In a subsequent press address, Mr Sanz said the seven people on foot could also include British nationals.

He said: ‘In that second scenario there were nine people and two managed to save themselves but seven died.

‘One appears to have been Spanish and the seven others could be foreigners, Belgians and British nationals.’

Bedar’s mayor Angel Francisco Collado Fernandez added on Saturday afternoon referencing the group of nine: ‘We insisted to the people that didn’t want to leave that they had to do so.

‘Fortunately one of those who decided to stay is still alive, recommending that the other nine neighbours take refuge in his home.

‘They didn’t take his advice and seven died and the other two suffered serious burns and are on their way to the Virgen del Rocio Hospital in Seville.’

Although 23 people were said on Saturday to be unaccounted for, Mr Sanz pointed out on Sunday only seven missing persons’ reports have been filed.

He also said Sunday represented the ‘first window of opportunity’ to move from a defensive strategy to one of direct attack against the devastating wildfire because of a change in the weather conditions including the wind strength.

The wildfire is one of Spain’s deadliest in recent years and comes as Europe continues to grapple with another intense summer heatwave, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40C.

The cause of the fire has not been confirmed, but has been linked to a fallen power line.