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| susperps = Michael Adebolajo and another perpetrator; two other alleged co-conspirators}} |
| susperps = Michael Adebolajo and another perpetrator; two other alleged co-conspirators}} |
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On 22 May 2013, Lee Rigby, a [[Military band#United Kingdom|bandsman]] of the [[British Army]]'s [[Royal Regiment of Fusiliers]],<ref name ="rigby" /> was killed on a street in [[Woolwich]] in southeast [[London]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Woolwich attack: Killed man 'was soldier'|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22634468#TWEET765325|publisher=BBC News|date=23 May 2013||accessdate=23 May 2013}}</ref><ref name-"InsideGovernment">{{cite web|title=Woolwich attack victim confirmed as serving soldier|publisher=Ministry of Defence, Prime Ministers Office, Home Office|date=23 May 2013|accessdate=23 May 2013|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/woolwich-attack-victim-confirmed-as-serving-soldier}}</ref> The soldier was run down by a car<ref name=guardian-man-killed-in-deadly-terror-attack-in-london-street>{{cite web|title=Man killed in deadly terror attack in London street|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/22/police-respond-serious-incident-woolwich|publisher=The Guardian|last=Dodd|first=Vikram|date=22 May 2013|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> before being stabbed and hacked to death by |
On 22 May 2013, Lee Rigby, a [[Military band#United Kingdom|bandsman]] of the [[British Army]]'s [[Royal Regiment of Fusiliers]],<ref name ="rigby" /> was killed on a street in [[Woolwich]] in southeast [[London]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Woolwich attack: Killed man 'was soldier'|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22634468#TWEET765325|publisher=BBC News|date=23 May 2013||accessdate=23 May 2013}}</ref><ref name-"InsideGovernment">{{cite web|title=Woolwich attack victim confirmed as serving soldier|publisher=Ministry of Defence, Prime Ministers Office, Home Office|date=23 May 2013|accessdate=23 May 2013|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/woolwich-attack-victim-confirmed-as-serving-soldier}}</ref> The soldier was run down by a car<ref name=guardian-man-killed-in-deadly-terror-attack-in-london-street>{{cite web|title=Man killed in deadly terror attack in London street|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/22/police-respond-serious-incident-woolwich|publisher=The Guardian|last=Dodd|first=Vikram|date=22 May 2013|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> before being stabbed and hacked to death by two men with knives and a meat cleaver.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10074881/Mum-talked-down-Woolwich-terrorists-who-told-her-We-want-to-start-a-war-in-London-tonight.html | title=Mum talked down Woolwich terrorists who told her: 'We want to start a war in London tonight' | accessdate=2013-05-23}}</ref> They then dragged his body on to the road and waited for police to arrive, telling passers-by that they had attacked the soldier to avenge the killing of [[Islam|Muslims]] by the British military.<ref name='BBC'>{{cite web|title=Woolwich machete attack leaves man dead|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22630303|publisher=[[BBC News Online]]|date=22 May 2013accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> The two men were shot by armed police officers who arrived at the scene, and taken to hospital in serious conditions.<ref name='BBC'/> One of the men is a [[Nigerian British|British citizen of Nigerian descent]] and the other is also believed{{by who}} to be a British citizen.<ref name=Suspects/> Politicians and Muslim leaders condemned the attack.<ref name=reaction/> |
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==Attack== |
==Attack== |
Revision as of 21:31, 23 May 2013
51°29′19″N 0°03′45″E / 51.4885°N 0.06255°E
2013 Woolwich murder | |
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Location | Woolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom |
Date | 22 May 2013 14:20 BST (UTC+01:00) |
Weapons | Machete, meat cleaver, pistol and Vauxhall Tigra car |
Deaths | 1 (Drummer Lee Rigby) |
Injured | 2 (suspects) |
On 22 May 2013, Lee Rigby, a bandsman of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,[1] was killed on a street in Woolwich in southeast London.[2][3] The soldier was run down by a car[4] before being stabbed and hacked to death by two men with knives and a meat cleaver.[5] They then dragged his body on to the road and waited for police to arrive, telling passers-by that they had attacked the soldier to avenge the killing of Muslims by the British military.[6] The two men were shot by armed police officers who arrived at the scene, and taken to hospital in serious conditions.[6] One of the men is a British citizen of Nigerian descent and the other is also believed[by whom?] to be a British citizen.[7] Politicians and Muslim leaders condemned the attack.[8]
Attack
The murder occurred at 14:20 in Wellington Street, near its junction with John Wilson Street, part of the South Circular Road (A205) in Woolwich. Drummer Lee Rigby, of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, reportedly wearing a "Help for Heroes" T-shirt, is believed to have been deliberately hit by a Vauxhall car,[9] then attacked by two men with knives and a meat cleaver.[6][4] Women later stood over the body of the man, trying to protect him from further attack.[9] The attackers, who were 22 and 28-years-old,[10] later stood around, waving knives and a gun and asked people to take pictures of them. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, a passenger on a passing bus, was one of the first people on the scene. While the two men were awaiting a police response, Loyau-Kennett tended to the victim, who later died. She engaged in a conversation with the attackers, one of whom said to her: "We want to start a war in London tonight." She asked the men to hand over their weapons, which they refused.[11] One of the murderers carrying a machete later said on camera:[12]
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 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 lot 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 Qur'an in Sura at-Tawba [Chapter 9 of the Qur'an], through many, many ayah [verses] throughout the Qur'an that [say] we must fight them as they fight us, a eye for a eye 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 ca.., 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 ... [sic]
The murderers waited for 15 to 20 minutes for armed police to arrive and reportedly danced over the body, while one of the men asked passengers on a bus to take photographs of him.[9] When armed police arrived, the man with the machete charged at police and was shot by a female officer, while the other did the same with a gun and was also felled by police marksmen.[9] Channel 4 News had broadcast footage showing the two perpetrators having shouted "Allahu Akbar".[13] Greenwich and Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford said that the victim was a soldier at the nearby Royal Artillery Barracks.[6] He also said: "The situation is clearly a very very serious one indeed. One individual is dead and two others are seriously injured and apparently in hospital." The Guardian newspaper reported that the Ministry of Defence was frustrated with the comment as it would have preferred to have told the family of the victim before the media.[14] The murder took place 300 to 400 metres (980 to 1,310 ft) from the barracks perimeter.[4]
A gun, knives and a machete were later seized at the scene. Police officers, including firearms officers who arrived later, were at the scene. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by local Greenwich police.[6]
Victim
The next day, the soldier killed in the attack was named as 25-year-old Drummer Lee Rigby of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Rigby, from Middleton, Greater Manchester,[15] had served in Afghanistan's[1] ISAF operations during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Suspects
One of the men has been confirmed as a British citizen of Nigerian descent, and the other is also believed to be British.[7] One man has been named as Michael Adebolajo, a 28-year-old, born in Lambeth, London, though of Nigerian descent.[7] He studied sociology at the University of Greenwich and converted from Christianity to Islam.[16][17] Both men were known to British security services.[18]
Two additional persons were arrested on 23 May on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.[10]
Aftermath
In addition to condemning the murder, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for calm and a "measured response" while 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." Metropolitan Police Commander Simon Letchford later issued a statement that read: "I can understand that this incident will cause community concerns, and I would like to reiterate that we are investigating what has taken place today. ... I am asking people to remain calm, and avoid unnecessary speculation."[14]
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to Paris to chair a COBRA meeting.[4] The Ministry of Defence issued a statement reading that it was urgently investigating the incident. Home Secretary Theresa May subsequently chaired a meeting of the COBRA committee.[19] The COBRA meeting was attended by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick and other unnamed members of the intelligence agencies.[14]
After Cameron's arrival a second COBRA meeting was held, following which he said:
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 murderers 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.
At the same time Johnson said that the people of London could go about their daily business routinely.[20]
After the English Defence League called on its supporters to mobilise,[19] the same evening its 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. Speaking in response to the incidents, Julie Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Britain expressed fears the far-right would use the murder as a way of creating community divisions.[21]
On the morning of 23 May, a flat in Greenwich and a house in Lincolnshire were raided by police in connection with the investigation.[22]
Investigation
The Independent Police Complaints Commission said that it would investigate the incident as per normal circumstances. The IPCC investigate any incident in which police discharge a weapon.[14]
Reactions
Queen Elizabeth II was said to be "concerned" by the report of the murder, and is being kept informed. She is due to visit the Royal Woolwich Barracks on 31 May, a trip that had been planned before the attack.[14] Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the murder and said that Britain would be united,[6] as did Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.[23] Home Secretary Theresa May described the attacks as "sickening and barbaric."[24] Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband condemned it as "a truly appalling murder which will shock the entire country".[25][19] The Mayor of London Boris Johnson described the murder as a "sickening, deluded, and unforgivable act of violence".[6] He also said that it was "overwhelmingly likely" to have been a terrorist attack.[19]
Respect MP George Galloway wrote that "This sickening atrocity in London is exactly what we are paying the same kind of people to do in Syria."[14] UKIP leader Nigel Farage asked for calm amongst communities and said that he hopes this was an isolated incident.[26] British National Party leader Nick Griffin posted a series of Twitter posts blaming "mass immigration" for the murder and calling for a protest rally in Woolwich.[27]
Muslim leaders were also united in their clear opposition to the murder:[8] the Muslim Council of Britain said the murder "has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly";[6] the head of the Ramadhan Foundation Mohammed Shafiq also condemned the murder and added that "London and our nation will come together and will not be divided. The terrorists will never win and succeed in their evil plans";[14] and the director of Faith Matters and co-ordinator of the government-backed anti-Islamophobic project "Tell MAMA" said: "We as the Muslim community will work against anyone who promotes such hatred."[14] Christian leader and Bishop of Woolwich the Rt. Rev. Dr Michael Ipgrave said on the day of the murder: "I am deeply saddened and distressed to hear of the incident in John Wilson Street this afternoon...St Mary Magdalene Church, Greenlaw Street will be open from 7.30pm this evening for those who want to pray and reflect on this tragic incident."[14] Help for Heroes said they were "appalled to hear that a man, believed to be a serving soldier, has been brutally murdered in Woolwich today."[6]
Baroness Neville-Jones, a former security minister and chairman of the British Joint Intelligence Committee, and Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Army commander, said the security services need to focus on the “inspiration” that comes from internet hate preaching. Neville-Jones told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that internet hate preaching could have inspired the two attackers and that "what we shouldn’t forget is that even if there is nobody else behind it one of the things which runs through the scene at the moment is the inspiration that comes from internet hate preaching and jihadist rhetoric and this is a very, very serious problem now."[28]
See also
- 2008 Exeter bombing, an Islamist attempted attack
- 7 July 2005 London bombings, Islamist-enacted attacks
- 21 July 2005 London bombings, an Islamist attempted attack
- 1983 Royal Artillery Barracks bombing, an IRA attack
- List of terrorist incidents in London
References
- ^ a b "Woolwich attack: Lee Rigby named as victim". BBC News. London: BBC News. 23 May 2013}. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Woolwich attack: Killed man 'was soldier'". BBC News. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "Woolwich attack victim confirmed as serving soldier". Ministry of Defence, Prime Ministers Office, Home Office. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d Dodd, Vikram (22 May 2013). "Man killed in deadly terror attack in London street". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ "Mum talked down Woolwich terrorists who told her: 'We want to start a war in London tonight'". Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Woolwich machete attack leaves man dead". BBC News Online. 22 May 2013accessdate=22 May 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ a b c "Woolwich Terror Murder Suspect Named". news.sky.com. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b "PM and Muslim leaders unite to condemn attack". thesun.co.uk. 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d Sandra Laville, Shiv Malik and Ben Quinn (22 May 2013). "Woolwich killing: horror on John Wilson Street". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ a b Sengupta, Kim (23 May 2013). "Man and woman arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder victim of Woolwich machete attack, named as Drummer Lee Rigby". The Independent. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Duffin, Claire (22 May 2013), "Mum talked down Woolwich terrorists who told her: 'We want to start a war in London tonight'", The Telegraph
- ^ Mark Durie (23 May 2013). "The Woolwich Killing: "We must fight them as they fight us."". Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "London terror suspects shout 'Allahu Akbar' and machete man to death".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul Owen and Conal Urquhart (22 May 2013). "Woolwich attack: government convenes emergency meeting – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ Thompson, Dan (23 May 2013). "Woolwich soldier murder victim named as Lee Rigby from Middleton". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "Woolwich killer identified as 28-year-old Islam convert of Nigerian descent – media — RT News". rt.com. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "Woolwich attack: One suspect named as Michael Adeboloja". dailytelegraph.com.au. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|year=
(help) - ^ "Woolwich attack: Suspects known to security services". BBC News. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d "'Soldier' hacked to death in London". Al Jazeera English. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ "UK: Soldier's murder may be terror-related - Europe". Al Jazeera English. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Ross Lydall. "Woolwich killing: plea for calm as mosques are targeted and English Defence League clash with police - Crime - News - London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Stephen Armourae. "Woolwich death Lincolnshire connection - Wisbech Online newspaper". Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "'Shootings' and 'machete attack' in south east London: live". Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "As it happened - Woolwich attack". Retrieved 22 May 2013
- ^ "Woolwich attack: government convenes emergency meeting – live updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ "Ukip leader Nigel Farage says he hopes and believes Woolwich attack is 'isolated' incident".
- ^ Sam Jones, Ben Quinn and Conal Urquhart. "Woolwich attack prompts fears of backlash against British Muslims | UK news | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Dominiczak, Peter. "Woolwich attack: We must tackle hate preaching over the internet, security experts say". Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2013.