Murder of Lee Rigby - Misplaced Pages

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Death of Lee Rigby
Location of the attack, outside the Royal Artillery Barracks (indicated by the arrow)
Location	Woolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England
Date	22 May 2013 14:20 BST (UTC+01:00)
Weapons	Car, cleaver, knife, revolver
Deaths	1 (Lee Rigby)
Injured	2 (Michael Adebolajo, Michael Adebowale)

On the afternoon of 22 May 2013, a British Army soldier, Drummer (Private) Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was killed by two assailants near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, in what had been described as a terrorist attack.

Rigby was off duty and walking along Wellington Street when he was attacked. Two men ran him down with a car, then used knives and a cleaver to stab and hack him to death. The men then dragged Rigby's body into the road. The two attackers remained at the scene until police arrived. They told passers-by that they had killed a soldier to avenge the killing of Muslims by the British military. Regular unarmed police arrived at the scene nine minutes after an emergency call was received and set up a cordon. Armed police officers arrived five minutes later. The assailants, armed with a gun and cleaver, charged at the police, who fired shots that wounded them both. They were apprehended and taken to separate hospitals. Both are British of Nigerian descent who were raised as Christians and converted to Islam.

The attack was condemned by political and Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom and in the worldwide press. In the aftermath, anti-Muslim reprisal attacks were reported across the UK.

Victim

File:Drummer Lee Rigby - Cropped.jpg

Drummer Lee Rigby, the victim of the attack

The soldier killed in the attack was 25-year-old Lee Rigby, a drummer in 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. He was attacked when he was returning to barracks from working at the Tower. Rigby married in 2007 and had a two-year-old son, but had separated from his wife. He was engaged. A post-mortem examination of Rigby showed that he died from "multiple incised wounds".

Rigby supported the Help for Heroes charity and was wearing a top supporting the charity when he was attacked. In the five days following his death the charity received over £600,000 in donations.

Attack

The attack took place shortly before 14:20 in Wellington Street, and near its junction with John Wilson Street, part of the South Circular Road (A205) in Woolwich, near the perimeter of the Royal Artillery Barracks where Rigby was stationed.

Two assailants, later identified as Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, drove a car at Rigby, knocking him to the pavement. The assailants then attacked and killed Rigby with knives and a cleaver, and attempted to behead his body. Witnesses stated that the assailants shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack.

Immediately after the attack, several passers-by stood over Rigby's body, trying to protect him from further injury. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, a cub scout leader from Cornwall, was one of the people at the scene. She disembarked from a passing bus, with the intention of rendering first aid, when she saw what she thought to be a road 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 soldier who the attacker claimed had "killed Muslims in Iraq and in Afghanistan." She asked one of the men to hand over his weapons, but he refused.

One of the assailants justified the attack to a bystander, who was filming the scene:

"The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers. And this British soldier is one … 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? … when you drop a bomb do you think it hits one person? Or rather your bomb wipes out a whole family? … Through Koran we must fight them as they fight us … I apologise that women had to witness this today but in our lands women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your governments, they don’t care about you. You think David Cameron is gonna get caught in the street when we start busting our guns? Do you think 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 … leave our lands and you will live in peace."
— Michael Adebolajo, excerpted from a Daily Telegraph transcript

The assailants remained at the scene and asked bystanders to call the police. 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. 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, and both men were wounded. 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.

Suspects

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

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. 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. On 26 May, a 22-year-old male was arrested in Highbury. On 27 May, a 50-year-old male was arrested in Welling. Of the eight people arrested, six were freed on bail, and two were released without charge.

Michael Adebolajo

Adebolajo, born in Lambeth to a Christian family, 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. 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. In 2006, Adebolajo was arrested outside the Old Bailey during a protest about the trial of Mizanur Rahman.

In 2009 Adebolajo spoke at a demonstration organised by Unite Against Fascism at Harrow Central Mosque against the English Defence League and Stop Islamisation of Europe. He was recorded saying: "Don't be scared of them, do not be scared of the police or the cameras. You are here only to please Allah. You're not here for any other reason, if you are here just for a fight, please leave our ranks. We only want those who are sincere to Allah. Purify your intention."

In 2010, Adebolajo was arrested in Kenya with five others. He travelled using a British passport in the name Michael Olemendis Ndemolajo. Boniface Mwaniki, the head of Kenya's anti-terrorism unit, said they believed that Adebolajo was planning to train with the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab. He was handed over to British authorities in Kenya and was deported. The British Foreign Office confirmed "a British national was arrested in Kenya in 2010" was given consular assistance, as normal.

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 stated that Adebolajo alleged that MI5 had asked him to work with them, which he said Adebolajo had refused. He also stated that Adebolajo had claimed that he had been tortured and sexually assaulted by Kenyan troops after his arrest.

Adebolajo was released from hospital on 31 May and taken into police custody. He was charged with Rigby's murder the following day. He faced two additional charges of attempting to murder two police officers, and the possession of a firearm. At a further court appearance on 3 June he asked to be known as Mujahid Abu Hamza.

Michael Adebowale

Adebowale attended the University of Greenwich. His mother is a probation officer and his father a member of staff at the Nigerian High Commission.

On 28 May, Adebowale was released from hospital and taken to a police station in south London. Police charged him with the murder of Rigby and with possession of a firearm.

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.

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.

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

Legal proceedings

On 28 June 2013, a trial was scheduled to begin on 18 November.

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, although that was later relaxed.

The Home Secretary Theresa May chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Office Briefing Room committee (COBRA) 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. The Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to Paris to chair a second COBRA meeting.

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

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. After the English Defence League called on its supporters to mobilise, some members staged a protest at Woolwich Arsenal station in which bottles were thrown at police. The BNP scheduled their own protest for 1 June, but Scotland Yard refused to permit their plan to march from Woolwich Barracks; the demonstration instead took place at Whitehall in central London. UAF anti-fascist members protested the BNP protest. Police arrested 58 people, all anti-fascist protesters.

Anti-Muslim attacks

In the aftermath of the attack, an anti-Muslim backlash occurred across the United Kingdom. A representative of Hope not Hate said that the number of phone calls to their helpline concerning anti-Muslim incidents greatly increased since the murder. Hope not Hate reported a total of 193 Islamophobic incidents, including attacks on 10 mosques, as of 27 May. On 1 June, Tell Mama, a government-funded project, reported 212 anti-Muslim incidents, including: 125 online incidents, 17 incidents involved physical attack, and 11 attacks on mosques. On 9 June it was reported that government funding for Tell Mama would not be renewed, due to concern over the reliability of the data reported by Tell Mama, although this decision pre-dated Rigby's death.

Incidents ranged from verbal abuse to physical assaults in which women's headscarves were pulled off. Graffiti was scrawled over mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. Hope not Hate also stated that online activity suggested that some of the attacks on Muslims were coordinated. At least seven people have been arrested over a range of social media-related issues.

On 23 May, two mosques were attacked. In Braintree, Essex a man entered a mosque with two knives, threatened the congregation, and threw an explosive device. Witnesses say the explosive device was a grenade or gas canister. In Gillingham, Kent, a man ran into a mosque and smashed windows and bookcases, specifically targeting those containing copies of the Quran. Two men were arrested in connection to these attacks. On 26 May, several petrol bombs were thrown into a mosque in Grimsby. No one was injured and the fires were rapidly extinguished. Two former soldiers were arrested in connection to the attack.

On 5 June, Al-Rahma Islamic Centre, which was used by children after school in Muswell Hill, north London, was destroyed by a fire. The building had been sprayed with graffiti making reference to the English Defence League. The investigation for the fire is being conducted by Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, because of a possible link to domestic extremism. On 8 June, a fire at Darul Uloom School, an Islamic boarding school in southeast London, forced the evacuation of 128 students and teachers. Police said they feared the incident may have been a revenge attack.

On 10 June, a senior Metropolitan Police officer confirmed that there had been an eight-fold increase in the number of Islamophobic incidents since Rigby's death, and that the real figure could be higher due to widespread under-reporting.

Video footage controversy

The video footage of one of the perpetrators justifying the death of Lee Rigby was obtained by The Sun and ITN, for undisclosed sums. ITN's video, which was edited before it was broadcast, aired during the 6.30 pm edition of ITV News, and again in its 10 pm news bulletin. After being posted on the ITN website in the afternoon, the high level of visits caused the site to crash and go offline for around half an hour. Total traffic on the site, which averages 860,000 unique users per week, reached 1.2 million for the day of the attack.

Managing editor of The Sun, Richard Caseby, said that the newspaper had faced a "a very difficult decision". Both media outlets argued that they had released the video "in the public interest". BBC News also showed some parts of the video. Sky News decided not to follow suit, as senior editors were of the opinion that the graphic images were "unnecessarily distressing". Both ITV and the BBC ran disclaimers before showing the footage. Most of Britain's national daily newspapers grabbed still images from the video footage for their front pages the next morning. A BBC executive said that the news organisation edited the footage prior to broadcasting, and "dealt with the material as carefully as we could." The spokesman said that they "thought very carefully about the pictures ... and gave great consideration to how we used the footage". They argued that the footage was an important element of the story and shed light on the perpetrators and the possible motives for the attack."

The Guardian reported that there were "around 800 complaints from distressed viewers". The vast majority of complaints were targeted at the television coverage, with ITV receiving 400 complaints in the 24 hours following the broadcast. Sky News, which showed only a still image of one of the attackers with bloodied hands, received "a handful of complaints".

On 17 June, the broadcasting standards watchdog Ofcom launched an investigation into the broadcasting of footage from the Woolwich attack after receiving about 700 complaints.

Abu Nusaybah

Abu Nusaybah, whose real name is Ibrahim Abdullah-Hassan, was arrested on 25 May following an interview at the BBC about Michael Adebolajo, and charged with three terrorism activities unrelated to the Rigby killing. Abdullah-Hassan is accused of publishing lectures that may have encouraged others to commit terrorist activities, and helping others access works by Abu Zubair Adil al-Adab and a now-deceased al-Qaeda religious scholar Khalid al-Husainan.

Anti-terrorism task force

The UK government established a task force to look at ways of stemming the growth of Islamic extremism in Britain, focusing on the radicalisation of worshippers in mosques, university students and prisoners. The task force – chaired by David Cameron – had its inaugural meeting at 10 Downing Street on 3 June, and includes Cabinet Ministers, and representatives from the police and intelligence services. Later that day Cameron made his first House of Commons statement on the Woolwich attack, saying that lessons must be learned from it. "When young men born and bred in this country are radicalised and turned into killers, we have to ask some tough questions about what is happening in our country. It is as if that for some young people there is a conveyor belt to radicalisation that has poisoned their minds with sick and perverted ideas. We need to dismantle this process at every stage – in schools, colleges, universities, on the internet, in our prisons, wherever it is taking place."

Reactions

Queen Elizabeth II, political leaders and religious leaders variously expressed concern and distress over the incident, and called for calm. 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. 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 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. The Muslim Council of Britain said the attack "has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly". 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."

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." 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. 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.

Omar Bakri Mohammed, another radical cleric, praised Adebolajo and said, "I saw the film and we could see that he was being very courageous...Under Islam this can be justified, he was not targeting civilians, he was taking on a military man in an operation. To people around here he is a hero." Reacting to his comments, Philip Davies, a West Yorkshire MP, said, "This is clearly utterly revolting and outrageous. At least everybody can now see him for what he is; which is a vile piece of scum."

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.

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."

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." Tony Blair sees the attack not as an isolated expression of two crazed individuals but part of the broader "problem within Islam."

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.

In a statement issued on 28 May, Adebojalo's relatives condemned terrorism and violence in the name of religion, and expressed their horror at Rigby's death.