LONDON (AP) — Anti-immigration Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was ignored when he complained of threats to his safety, his deputy said Saturday after the man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe was charged with plotting a terror attack against Farage.
Richard Tice said Farage had discussed the risks to his security many times over the years and the charge amounts to a wake-up call.
“What’s particularly upsetting for those of us in and around him is sometimes he’s not being believed, not being listened to,” Tice told the BBC.
Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, including against Farage, the Crown Prosecution Service said Friday.
Authorities did not release additional information about the charge, but counterterrorism police in August said they had reopened a probe into an alleged firebomb attack at Farage's south London home.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed sympathy for Farage and his family.
"I know the new charges made today will be extremely concerning," Mahmood said on X. “Let no one make any mistake: an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all."
Mahmood said she would work to strengthen protections for politicians after Parliament returns from recess on Oct. 12.
Kerry was previously charged with murder in the July 8 beating death of Widdecombe, who was found dead in her house in an isolated southwest England village.
Widdecombe, 78, was a spokesperson for the Reform Party after a long career as a Conservative member of Parliament and government minister known for her blunt-spoken, socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
She later found fame as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother” and returned to politics.
Widdecombe's killing renewed concerns over the security for politicians, which had been tightened in the past decade after the murders of two prominent MPs. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
Tice said the party had a series of high-level meetings with the government about security and that authorities had shifted their approach to treat threats more seriously.
Kerry is due to appear Wednesday in Westminster Magistrates' Court on the new charge.
Britain's Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage speaks at the Reform UK First 100 Days rally, in Doncaster, England, Thursday Oct. 1, 2026. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)
The co-pilot suspected in this week's FlyDubai attack has been identified as an Omani national, and the United Arab Emirates says he attacked the captain with the cockpit's crash axe before trying to seize the controls.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Gaza says Israeli strikes have killed five people, including two from the Palestinian territory's Christian minority. And a fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, with no details released on the cause.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here.
The co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight before passengers and others stopped the attack is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat, said.
All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The Gulf diplomat said investigations are underway to establish whether he acted alone.
The United Arab Emirates said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash axe and tried to take control of the plane in a “terrorist attack.”
The co-pilot, who officials said nearly crashed the sharply plummeting flight with 182 people aboard, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a separate person familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
— By Samy Magdy, Sam Mednick, Anna Johnson
Israeli strikes overnight in Gaza killed five people, according to Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Four women were among the dead. A mother and daughter among them were Christians, a minority in Gaza, the hospital said, and the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed condolences.
A large fire burned at the site, where the strikes tore a gaping hole in the ground floor of a multistory building. The hospital said people were still reported missing beneath the debris.
Israel's military did not immediately comment, saying it was checking for information.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,439 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached with the Hamas militant group nearly a year ago, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Its figures are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and in response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks.
A fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, sending dense black smoke into the air, an eyewitness said, speaking on condition of anonymity for his safety.
It wasn’t clear what caused the fire at an Aramco oil refinery. Authorities tightened security in the area and police blocked roads leading to it, the witness said.
The Saudi state-run Aramco oil company and the government-run Center for International Communication, which oversees foreign media in Saudi Arabia, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi oil facilities recently have been hit in missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. A major escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis has revived Yemen’s civil war.
— By Samy Magdy
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said airstrikes hit the capital, Sanaa, as renewed fighting raged between the Houthis on one side and Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognized government on the other. Residents reported hearing three loud explosions.
The Houthi media office accused Saudi Arabia of launching the strikes but didn’t offer evidence. There was no immediate Saudi comment.
Iran executed a man convicted of firing at police during widespread unrest in January, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
The report identified the man as Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, a resident of Shahrekord in central Iran. It said he confessed to possessing weapons and firing at police, and was convicted on charges including moharebeh, Farsi for "waging war against God."
The report did not say how the execution was carried out, though Iran typically carries out executions by hanging. Earlier this week, IRNA reported that Iran had executed two other men over violence during the January protests.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
Mourners pray over the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an early morning Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A destroyed building is seen at the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
