The husband of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox has hit back after Nigel Farage 'blamed' Angela Merkel's immigration policy for the Berlin attack.
Following the suspected terror attack on the Christmas market in the German capital, the former UKIP leader tweeted: "Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy."
Mr Farage was referring to the German Chancellor's open-door policy on welcoming immigrants fleeing Middle East war zones.
:: LIVE: Berlin Christmas market attack
In what was widely interpreted as a reference to the murder of his wife by a far-right terrorist during the EU referendum campaign, Brendan Cox quickly responded: "@Nigel_Farage blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? That's a slippery slope Nigel."
Following the exchange, Mr Farage defended his comments telling LBC radio: "Well of course he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox, he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.
"And I'm sorry Mr Cox, it is time people started to take responsibility for what's happened. Mrs Merkel had directly caused a whole number of social and terrorist problems in Germany, it's about time we confronted that truth."
Mrs Cox was gunned down by extremist Thomas Mair on 16 June. As he launched his attack he said: "This is for Britain", "keep Britain independent" and "Britain first".
Brexiters have been accused of stoking hate crime after police figures showed an significant and sharp increase in the late stages of EU campaigning, and afterwards.
On the day of Mrs Cox's murder, Mr Farage launched a poster showing a long queue of refugees with the slogan "breaking point".
At the time, it was criticised by Remain campaigner and former chancellor George Osborne, who likened it to 1930s fascist propaganda, and Brexit campaigner and then justice secretary Michael Gove, who said it made him shudder.
Mrs Merkel has said that it would be "particularly sickening" if the Christmas market attacker is an asylum seeker.
Local media has reported the suspect arrested at the scene was a Pakistani who arrived in Germany in either 2015 or early this year. He was is believed to have been living at the Tempelhof refugee centre.
The far-right has been seeking to make political capital out of the attack in Berlin, which has left 12 people dead and 48 injured.
In a tweet sent just minutes after the attack, Eurosceptic MEP Marcus Pretzell described those who had been killed in the attack as "Merkel's dead".
The MEP for the right wing Alternative for Germany Party, which is making strong showing in Germany, wrote: "When will the German rule of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy end? It is Merkel's dead!"
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