U.K. police say former politician and TV personality Ann Widdecombe was killed in ‘targeted attack’

FILE -Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party member, is interviewed after Nigel Farage, Leader of Britain's Brexit Party, spoke on stage at the launch of their policies for the General Election campaign, in London, Nov. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

LONDON — Counterterror police investigating the killing of the former British politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe said Tuesday that she was the victim of a “targeted attack.”

A 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and terror crimes remains in custody as the investigation continues.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing told reporters. “We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.”

The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament, shocked the British political world, where Widdecombe was a prominent voice for decades. She was a blunt-speaking character known for socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

Police said they believe Widdecombe was attacked Wednesday afternoon. She failed to appear that afternoon for a scheduled TV interview and was found dead the next day in her isolated rural home in a southwest England village.

Police did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that she had sustained “serious injuries.”