Essex Police reportedly arrested a 36-year-old man Wednesday evening in connection with a suspected plot to kidnap “This Morning” presenter, Holly Willoughby.
Police found troubling messages that suggested the 42-year-old mother of three was in serious danger, according to The Sun. Police reportedly alerted Willoughby about the danger just moments before she was scheduled to appear on-air.
“There were apparently some sinister and threatening messages found on electronic devices threatening to seriously harm her,” a source close to the situation said, according to The Sun. Willoughby did not appear on Wednesday’s edition of “This Morning,” and she was under police protection at her home.
View this post on Instagram
Willoughby was left feeling “shocked and distraught” after learning of the alleged plot to harm her, according to The Sun. (RELATED: California Mom Who Faked Her Own Kidnapping Gets 18 Months In Prison)
“A 36-year-old man from Harlow has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap as part of an ongoing investigation,’ an Essex Police spokesman said, according to The Sun.
Police reportedly arrested the male suspect October 4, and he remains in custody at this time.
“Investigations are continuing, but police are treating this as a credible conspiracy to kidnap Holly,” a source close to the matter reported.
“I saw him being led out of his flat in handcuffs last night at about nine o’clock,” a neighbor from Harlow, Essex, said, per The Sun.
Another neighbor and witness said, “The police car has been there all day. Earlier on there was a forensics van,” according to The Sun.
View this post on Instagram
A marked police car remained at the alleged suspect’s ground-floor apartment where he lives alone, and round-the-clock police protection has been assigned to Willoughby’s London-area residence, per The Sun.
It is unclear how the police managed to uncover the plot, or what the specifics of the threats were. It is believed digital devices and a mobile phone were seized as part of this investigation.