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Murder of Lee Rigby

Coordinates: 51°29′19″N 0°03′45″E / 51.4885°N 0.06255°E / 51.4885; 0.06255
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51°29′19″N 0°03′45″E / 51.4885°N 0.06255°E / 51.4885; 0.06255

2013 Woolwich attack
Location of the attack,
outside the Royal Artillery Barracks
(indicated by the arrow)
LocationWoolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England
Date22 May 2013
14:20 BST (UTC+01:00)
WeaponsCar, cleaver, knife, revolver
Deaths1 (Lee Rigby)
Injured2 (the suspects)

On the afternoon of 22 May 2013, Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier and a Drummer of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was killed by two attackers near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south-east London.[1][2][3]

Rigby was off duty and walking along Wellington Street when he was attacked.[4] Two men ran him down with a car, then used knives and a cleaver to stab and hack him to death.[5] The men then dragged Rigby's body onto the road. The two attackers, who remained at the scene until police arrived, told passers-by that they had killed a soldier to avenge the killing of Muslims by the British military.[6] Regular unarmed police arrived at the scene nine minutes after the initial emergency call from the public, followed five minutes later by armed officers. Both assailants were shot, apprehended, and then taken to separate hospitals.[6] Both men are British of Nigerian descent who were raised as Christians and converted to Islam.[7]

The attack was condemned by political and Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom[8] and in the worldwide press.[9]

Victim

File:Drummer Lee Rigby - Cropped.jpg
Drummer Lee Rigby, the victim of the attack

The soldier killed in the attack was Drummer (Private) Lee Rigby (25), of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Rigby, from Middleton, Greater Manchester, had served in Cyprus, Germany, and Afghanistan before becoming a recruiter and assisting with duties in the Tower of London.[1][10][11] Rigby married in 2007 but had separated;[12] he was engaged to remarry.[13] A post mortem examination of Rigby showed that he died from "multiple incised wounds".[14]

Attack

The attack took place shortly before 14:20 in Wellington Street, near its junction with John Wilson Street, part of the South Circular Road (A205) in Woolwich, about 300 to 400 metres (980 to 1,310 ft) from the perimeter of the Royal Artillery Barracks where Rigby was stationed.[4] He was off duty at the time and wearing a Help for Heroes top.[15] He is believed to have been deliberately run down by the assailants in a car,[16] then attacked and killed by the two men armed with knives and a cleaver who witnesses said shouted "Allahu Akbar". After killing Rigby the men attempted to behead him.[4][6][17]

Immediately after the attack, two women stood over Rigby's body, trying to protect him from further attack.[16] Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, a cub scout leader from Cornwall, was one of the people at the scene.[18] She disembarked from a passing bus, with the intention of rendering first aid, when she saw what she thought to be a motor accident. On discovering that Rigby was dead, and that a murder had apparently taken place, she engaged one of the assailants in conversation. The man said that he was responsible for killing the man on the ground – a British solider who killed Muslims in Iraq and in Afghanistan.[19][20] She asked one of the men to hand over his weapons, but he refused.[21]

One of the assailants, Michael Adebolajo, justified the attack to a bystander videoing the scene: {{quote|The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers, and this British soldier is one, is a eye for a eye [sic] and a tooth for a tooth. By Allah, we swear by the Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. So what if we want to live by the Sharia in Muslim lands. Why does that mean you must follow us and chase us and call us extremists and kill us? Rather you are extreme. You are the ones. When you drop a bomb, do you think it hits one person or rather your bomb wipes out a whole family. This is the reality. By Allah, if I saw your mother today with a buggy I would help her up the stairs. This is my nature. But we are forced by the Quran in Sura at-Tawba, through many, many ayah throughout the Quran that we must fight them as they fight us, a eye for a eye [sic] and a tooth for a tooth. I apologise that women had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your governments. They don't care about you. Do you think David Cameron is gonna get caught in the street when we start busting our guns? Do you think the politicians are going to die? No it's going to be the average guy, like you, and your children. So get rid of them. Tell them to bring our troops back so we can... so you can all live in peace. Leave our lands and you will live in peace. That's all I have to say. Allah's peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, as-salamu alaykum.[22]

The assailants remained at the scene and asked bystanders to call the police.[23] The Metropolitan Police received the first 999 call about an assault at 14:20, and regular unarmed police were deployed. Subsequent 999 calls stated that the attackers had a firearm, and armed police were ordered to the scene at 14:24. Unarmed police arrived at 14:29, set up a cordon, and remained behind it.[24] Authorised Firearms Officers arrived at 14:34. The assailants, one brandishing a cleaver and the other a revolver, charged at the police. The police fired eight shots, wounding both men.[16][25] The assailants were arrested and taken to separate hospitals. A revolver, knives, and a cleaver were seized at the scene. Rigby was later pronounced dead and formally identified as the victim.[25]

Suspects

The two main suspects are Michael Olumide Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, 22,[26] both British of Nigerian descent.[27] Both were known to British security services.[28]

Several arrests followed. On 23 May, a man aged 29 and two women aged 31 and 29 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.[29] The Metropolitan Police further arrested three individuals aged between 21 and 28 on the evening of 25 May in south-east London, at two separate locations.[30] On 26 May, a 22-year-old male was arrested in Highbury.[29] On 27 May, a 50-year-old male was arrested in Welling.[31] Of the eight people arrested, six were freed on bail, and two were released without charge.[32]

Michael Olumide Adebolajo

Adebolajo, born in Lambeth to a Christian family,[33][18] studied sociology at the University of Greenwich. He has a history of involvement in radical Islamist activities including a previous arrest at a violent protest.[34] According to Anjem Choudary, a radical Muslim cleric, Adebolajo converted from Christianity to Islam in 2003 and had links with the outlawed Islamist group al-Muhajiroun.[26][35] In 2006, Adebolajo was arrested outside the Old Bailey during a protest about the trial of Mizanur Rahman[36]

In 2010, Adebolajo was arrested in Kenya with five others. Boniface Mwaniki, the head of Kenya's anti-terrorism unit, said they believed that Adebolajo was planning to train with the al-Qaida-linked militant group Al-Shabab. Adebolajo was given consular assistance by the British Foreign Office.[37] He was handed over to British authorities in Kenya and was deported. At the time of his arrest Adebolajo was using the name Michael Olemendis Ndemolajo, which caused initial confusion to the authorities in Kenya when enquiries were made into his arrest there.[38]

Abu Nusaybah, a friend of Adebolajo, stated in an interview on BBC's Newsnight on 25 May that Adebolajo had complained of persistent questioning by the British Security Service (MI5) specifically concerning his knowledge of "certain individuals". He recounted Adebolajo's allegation that MI5 had asked him to work with them, which he said Adebolajo had refused.[39][40] Abu Nusaybah said that Adebolajo claimed to have been tortured and sexually assaulted by Kenyan troops.[41] Abu Nusaybah was arrested at the BBC after his interview.[39]

Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale

Adebowale was born in Nigeria.[42] He too attended the University of Greenwich.[43] His mother is a probation officer and his father a member of staff at the Nigerian High Commission.[44]

On 28 May, Adebowale was released from hospital and taken to a police station in south London.[45] Police charged him with the murder of Drummer Rigby and with possession of a firearm.[32] He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 30 May and was remanded in custody. Adebowale will appear at the Old Bailey on 3 June.[46]

Investigation

Investigators said that they were searching four houses in Greenwich, south London; one house in Romford, east London; another house in north London; and a property in Saxilby, Lincolnshire.[47][48]

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, stated that the committee would use new powers to retrieve documents from intelligence agencies. A written report is to be provided by Andrew Parker, the Director General of MI5.[49]

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, automatically involved in such police shootings, is to investigate.[50]

Subsequent events

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement that it was urgently investigating the incident. Immediately following the death, British service members were advised not to wear their uniform in public,[51] although that was later relaxed.[52]

The Home Secretary Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Office Briefing Room committee (COBRA)[53] attended by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick and other unnamed members of the intelligence agencies.[50] The Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to Paris to chair a second COBRA meeting.[4]

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe condemned the attack and called for calm and a "measured response", adding "we have met with community representatives, and extra officers remain on duty there tonight. Across London our officers are in contact with their communities too." Commander Simon Letchford later noted community concerns following the incident and assured that an investigation was under way. He also appealed for calm and avoidance of speculation.[50]

Julie Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Britain expressed concern that the killing would be used to create ethnic and community divisions.[54] An additional 1,200 police officers were deployed across London to prevent revenge attacks on Muslim communities.[47]

The British National Party leader Nick Griffin posted a series of Twitter messages blaming "mass immigration" for the attack and called for a protest rally in Woolwich.[55] After the English Defence League called on its supporters to mobilise,[53] some members staged a protest at Woolwich Arsenal station in which bottles were thrown at police. Individuals were also arrested in two separate incidents at mosques in Essex and Kent.[54]

Anti-Muslim attacks

Reports of an increase in anti-Muslim incidents include graffiti on mosques and an attempted arson in Braintree, Essex.[56][57] Fiyaz Mughal of the Faith Matters helpline said that the number of phone calls concerning anti-Muslim incidents was greatly increased since the murder.[58] Incidents ranged from verbal abuse to physical assaults in which women's headscarves were pulled off, to arson.[58] He also stated that there was online activity which suggested that some of the attacks on Muslim people were coordinated.[58] At least seven people have been arrested over a range of social media-related issues.[58]

On 26 May, several petrol bombs were thrown into a mosque in Grimsby. Although several people, including children, were inside at the time, no one was injured and the fires were rapidly extinguished.[59] Two former soldiers, Stuart Harness, 33, and Gavin Humphries, 37 were arrested in connection to the attack.[60]

Reactions

Queen Elizabeth II, political leaders and religious leaders variously expressed concern and distress over the incident, and called for calm.[50] The British Prime Minister David Cameron made the following statement:

This country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against extremism and terror. This action was a betrayal of Islam and the Muslim communities that give so much to our country. We will defeat violent extremism by standing together. We will not rest until we know every detail. [The attackers told Ingrid Loyau-Kennett that] they wanted to start a war in London and she replied, "You are going to lose, it is you against many." She speaks for all of us.

Many Muslim leaders have denounced the attack. The Prime Minister's statement was echoed by Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the co-chair of the Christian Muslim Forum, in a joint statement.[17] The Muslim Council of Britain said the attack "has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly".[6] The head of the Ramadhan Foundation, Mohammed Shafiq, also condemned the attack. The director of Faith Matters and co-ordinator of the government-backed anti-Islamophobic project "Tell MAMA" stated: "We, as the Muslim community, will work against anyone who promotes such hatred."[50]

Anjem Choudary, a radical cleric, refused to condemn the attack. He said, "I'm not in the business of condemnation or condoning. I think if anyone needs to be condemned it is the British government and their foreign policy. It's so clear that that is the cause."[61] On BBC's Newsnight, when Choudary was questioned about his role in the radicalisation of Michael Adebolajo, he denied any responsibility, and talked about such radicalisation as a means to an end. He stated that he believed that not many Muslims would disagree with what Adebolajo had said in his videoed statement.[62] Shams Adduha Muhammad, the Imam and Director of Ibrahim College, challenged Choudary's views and attitude towards the killing, saying that none of the very many Muslims that he knew shared the opinions expressed by Adebolajo or Choudary's "narrative" around the events. He said Choudhary's view failed to take into account the holistic nature of Islam. He also said that it was possible to condemn the attack while still seeking to change government policies by appropriate political means.[62]

Asghar Bukhari of the UK Muslim Public Affairs Committee said that both the British Government and the Muslim community were at fault in dealing with "extremism". He criticised the British Government for being involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while "completely denying that it has anything to do with the political situation around the Muslim world", and said that Muslim organisations "have failed their own community by not teaching these young, angry men how to get a democratic change to this policy that's ruining so many lives". He described Muslim leaders as unwilling to bring about change, focussing on points of theology, rather than the practical education of young people in ways to achieve political change.[63]

Baroness Neville-Jones, a former security minister and chairman of the British Joint Intelligence Committee, and Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Army commander, suggested blame could be put on internet hate preaching. Neville-Jones told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "the inspiration that comes from internet hate preaching and jihadist rhetoric... is a very, very serious problem now."[64]

George Galloway, a British MP, said that the attacks were "indefensible". He criticised British support for the Syrian rebels, stating that similar attacks are likely to occur "as long as we are, as a country, involved in spreading murder and mayhem across the Muslim world."[65][66][67]

In foreign press reports there was widespread outrage and condemnation of the killing. Yusif al-Shihab, in Kuwait's Al-Abas, stated that the assailants have "deformed the image of Islam" while Batir Mohammad Wardum in the Jordanian daily Al-Dustur, and other Middle Eastern newspapers, stressed that their actions have endangered the lives of thousands of Muslims.[9]

On 28 May, members of Michael Adebojalo's family condemned terrorism and violence in the name of religion, and expressed their horror at Rigby's death.[45]

See also

References

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  12. ^ Soldier murdered in Woolwich
  13. ^ Lee Rigby's fiancée mourns
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