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Woolwich
Michael Adebolajo has been charged with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London, on May 22.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, of Romford, Essex, was also charged with the attempted murder of two police officers and possession of a firearm.
He has been remanded in custody to appear in Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday.
Michael Adebowale, 22, has already been charged with the soldier’s murder and appeared in court on Thursday.
Michael Adebowale, of Greenwich, south-east London, was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey, London, on Monday.
He was charged after spending six days in hospital, having been shot by police and arrested following the attack on May 22.
Michael Adebolajo, who was also shot and arrested at the scene, was charged after spending nine days in hospital and taken into custody at a south London police station.
Both Michael Adebowale and Michael Adebolajo were filmed and photographed by witnesses following the attack, which took place on a busy street during the afternoon.
Michael Adebolajo has been charged with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich
On Wednesday, a post-mortem examination found Drummer Lee Rigby, from Middleton, Greater Manchester, died of “multiple incised wounds” after the attack.
Thousands of flowers have been laid at the scene of the killing by members of the public in honor of Drummer Lee Rigby.
The total number of arrests made in connection with the attack stands at 12. So far, eight of those arrested have been bailed and two released without charge.
Meanwhile, far-right and anti-fascist groups have held rival demonstrations in central London amid increased tensions following Drummer Lee Rigby’s murder.
Police said 58 members of Unite Against Fascism had been arrested at a counter-protest sparked by a British National Party demonstration in Westminster. All were arrested for breaches of the Public Order Act.
On Friday, Drummer Lee Rigby’s family appealed for calm after reports of a rise in anti-Muslim incidents following the killing.
In a statement, his family said Lee Rigby would not have wanted his death used to excuse reprisal attacks, and called for people to “show their respect in a peaceful manner”.
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A video tonight emerged of a man with b****ied hands, carrying knives and ranting “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you”, after a serving soldier was ha**ed to death by two men just 200 yards from an Army barracks.
The man can be seen and heard talking to the camera. The video came as terrified eyewitnesses saw two men shot by police marksmen after the machete attack in Woolwich, south-east London.
The two men are thought to have waited around for 20 minutes until Metropolitan Police officers arrived and then tried to attack them – but were swiftly shot by armed policemen, including a woman.
They apparently shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great in Arabic), and tried to film the attack, the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson said.
British Home Secretary Theresa May tonight called a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee in response to the machete and knife attack on the man who was wearing a Help for Heroes t-shirt.
Theresa May said she had been briefed on the killing by the head of MI5 and police later confirmed they were treating the incident as a possible terror attack.
Meanwhile PM David Cameron cancelled a meeting with French President Francois Hollande to return to London. He said Britain has faced similar terror attacks before and added: “We will never buckle in the face of it.”
Before the dramatic video of the b****ied man was obtained by ITV News, eyewitnesses said the “crazed” men in their 20s launched a ferocious attack and were “ha**ing, ch***ing and cu**ing him”.
In footage released by ITV News, a man with b****ied hands carrying a knife and a machete addresses people holding a camera, where he appears to attempt to justify the incident.
Speaking to those recording the scene he says: “I apologize 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 government, they don’t care about you.”
In footage obtained by The Sun, the man can also be heard saying: “You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start busting our guns 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 so you can all live in peace.”
Following his outburst, the man walks back towards where the victim is lying in the middle of the road. He then speaks to another man as they stand near to the victim.
Women are later seen bravely tending to the man lying. The footage appears to have been taken before any of the emergency services have arrived at the scene.
Later footage has also emerged from shortly after police fired at two men. One of the men can be seen lying in the road, while the second is laid on the pavement.
The footage taken after the shootings was reported to have been taken by a man who had been on a bus on his way to a job interview.
PM David Cameron said on Twitter that “the killing in Woolwich is truly shocking – I have asked the Home Secretary to chair a Cobra meeting”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen is of course concerned by the report of an attack in Woolwich earlier today. Her Majesty is being kept informed.”
The spokesman also confirmed the Queen will visit the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Woolwich barracks on May 31, which was planned before today’s attack.
This afternoon the area’s MP, Nick Raynsford, told BBC Radio 5 Live he believed the victim, a man aged in his 20s, was a serving soldier.
The man is believed to have been hacked to death after a car crash. The scene of the attack is just 200 yards from Woolwich Barracks.
Man who killed British soldier with a machete in Woolwich
Nick Raynsford said: “We think a serving soldier was the victim. We don’t know the circumstances surrounding the incident. We do know a number of weapons have been seized.
“They include a gun, various knives, and a machete, apparently. The police clearly had to take action in order to try and arrest these individuals.”
The Ministry of Defence said it was urgently looking at the reports that the incident involved a soldier but had no further comment.
Footage from a TV news helicopter showed a large number of weapons lying in the street following the incident. A London Ambulance Service spokesman said one man had died at the scene.
He added: “Our staff treated two others. Both men were taken to hospital, one of them is in a serious condition, the other is not.”
One witness, identified as James, said he and his partner saw two black men attack the young victim with knives, including a meat cleaver.
“They were hacking at this poor guy, literally,” he told LBC.
Metropolitan Police Commander Simon Letchford confirmed tonight that the two attackers were shot by armed officers.
He said in a statement: “At approximately 1420 we were called to reports of an assault in John Wilson Street, Woolwich, where one man was being assaulted by two other men.
“A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack and this included reports of a firearm.
“Officers including local Greenwich officers arrived at the scene and shortly after firearms officers arrived on the scene.
“On their arrival at the scene they found a man, who was later pronounced dead. At this early stage I am unable to provide any further information about the man who has died.
“Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They were taken to separate London hospitals. They are receiving treatment for their injuries.
“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.”
Luke Huseyin, 32, who lives in a block of flats on John Wilson Street, Woolwich, close to where the incident happened said he watched two men murder a man before being shot.
He said: “I was at home and heard a big bang. I looked out of the window and saw a car had crashed.
“It was a blue Vauxhall. Then two black guys got out of the car dragging a white guy across the road towards the wall. One of the guys had a knife that looked about a foot long and a machete and the other bloke had a gun.
“They started slashing him up with the knife and hitting him in the stomach with the machete. I don’t think it took long before he was dead. There were people passing by who were screaming and running away. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“I’m still really shaken up. When he was dead, they dragged him out into the road and left him there. It was strange, they didn’t run off, they just stood there as if they were waiting for the police.
“It must have taken about 20 minutes for the police to arrive, I think it must’ve been because they were waiting for armed police.
“The police officers got out of the car and the two black men ran towards them with the gun.
“The police shot them. They fell to the ground. Then a helicopter landed. Think it must’ve been an air ambulance.
“The paramedics got out and I think they were working on the two men to try and keep them alive.
“I don’t know if they died, they were taken away in the helicopter. A blanket was put over the white guy lying in the road. I just can’t believe what I saw.”
Mother-of-four Julia Wilders, 51, said she was travelling past the scene and saw two men hacking at a man with meat cleavers.
“Graham was driving and we drove past the car which was up against a lamp post.
“There were two black guys that looked like they were trying to resuscitate a white guy on the floor. I thought there’d been an accident.
“But then I saw they were using meat cleavers to hack him up. We live just behind where it happened and once we got back we walked back to have a look and that’s when I saw one of the black guys pull out a handgun.
“My husband screamed at me to get back. I was petrified. As I was running back I saw the police pull up and the black guy was running towards the police car and they shot him.
“I didn’t see anything else, I just run back home.”
David Dixon is the headteacher of Mulgrave Primary School, which is located about 50 metres from the scene of the incident. He saw a body in the road after realizing something was happening and immediately locked down the school.
He said: “It was at the end of our road. As soon as we realized it was serious I went to see what had happened and then told staff to lock down the school and get the children inside. I spoke to police to ask what we should do.
“There seemed to be a body in the middle of the road. The traffic was backed up and the police were on the scene.”
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A man has been killed in a machete attack and his two assailants shot by police in Woolwich, south-east London, UK.
The UK’s government is reported to be treating the assault as a suspected terrorist incident and the prime minister said it was “truly shocking”.
Home Secretary Theresa May has summoned a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee Cobra.
Local MP Nick Raynsford said the dead man was a soldier at Woolwich barracks but this has not been confirmed.
Theresa May said she had been briefed by the director general of Security Service MI5, Andrew Parker, and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe on the “sickening and barbaric” attack.
“It has been confirmed to me that a man has been brutally murdered,” she said.
“Two other men were shot by armed police and they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries.”
One witness, identified only as James, said two men had attacked another man, aged about 20, who was wearing a T-shirt of military charity Help for Heroes.
“These two guys were crazed. They were just animals. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there,” he told LBC radio.
James said after the “horrendous” attack, the two men, who were also in their 20s, stood around, waving knives and a gun, and asked people to take pictures of them “as if they wanted to be on TV or something”.
“They were oblivious to anything, they were more worried about having their photo taken, running up and down the road,” he said.
Another witness, named Thomas, said: “I got there minutes after it happened because you could hear gunshots from Woolwich High Street.
“Basically two men carried out an axe attack on a young army cadet walking along the street, by the looks of things the police responded and then shot them in front of the public, at the same time I couldn’t really tell if the cadet was fatally or not hurt as police were crowded around him.”
A man has been killed in a machete attack and his two assailants shot by police in Woolwich, south-east London
Downing Street said PM David Cameron, who was planning to stay in Paris overnight after meeting the French president, would be returning to the UK tonight.
Whitehall sources said it is “a fair supposition” that the incident was a terrorist incident but police have not commented publicly on the suggestion.
It appears the police view is that the attack may have been filmed and footage may exist.
According to senior Whitehall sources, the people carrying out the attack were heard to say Allahu Akbar (God is Great).
On Twitter, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson described the attack as a “sickening deluded and unforgivable act of violence”.
Nick Raynsford, the Woolwich and Greenwich MP, said he had spoken to local police and understood a number of weapons had been seized at the scene including a gun, knives, and a machete.
Scotland Yard said the initial attack happened in John Wilson Street, the A205, at 14:20 BST.
Metropolitan Police Commander Simon Letchford said the two attackers were then shot by armed officers.
He said: “Police were called to reports of an assault… where one man was being assaulted by two other men. A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack, and this included reports of a firearm.
“Officers including local Greenwich officers arrived at the scene, and shortly after firearms officers arrived on the scene.
“On their arrival at the scene they found a man, who was later pronounced dead….
“Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They have both been taken to separate London hospitals. They are receiving treatment for their injuries.
“I can understand that this incident will cause community concerns and I would like to reiterate that we are investigating the circumstances.”
Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed it had been informed.
In a statement, the IPCC said: “Investigators have been deployed to the scene and to the post-incident process.”
London Ambulance Service confirmed one man had been found dead at the scene.
It said two men had been taken to hospital – one by air ambulance – and one of them was a serious condition.
David Dixon, a local head teacher, said he walked out of the school gates and saw a body lying in the road a short distance away.
He then heard gunshots and instructed staff to lock all the gates of his school.
The air ambulance landed in the playground and most of the children have now gone home, David Dixon said.
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[googlead tip=”vertical_mic”]London riots spread last nights, with looting and violence escalating across Hackney, Ealing, Croydon, Clapham and Notting Hill and erupting in cities outside London, such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham.
The London riots began in Tottenham on Saturday night following the deadly shooting by police of Mark Duggan, 29. Sunday night street violence spread to Brixton and to the following areas:
England riots mapping.
Hackney, East London
Rioting reigned for more than 3 hours on the Pembury Estate in Hackney as 300 masked people burned cars, looted shops and threw petrol bombs at riot police.
Burning debris – including motorbikes, bins and sticks – was piled around the estate.
On Mare Street, shops were looted.[googlead tip=”vertical_mic”]
A police officer in a solitary parked car was attacked shortly before 9 p.m., local time. His car windscreen was smashed with bricks and the car was pelted with sticks and bottles as a man shouted: “kill the police”.
Today a clean-up is being arranged in the borough.
England riots map.
[googlead tip=”lista_mica” aliniat=”stanga”]Croydon, South London
Residents were forced to jump from burning buildings as masked gangs set fire to shops, businesses, cars and homes. Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles.
Woman jumping from a burning building in Surrey Street
Family business Reeves, a furniture shop that has stood in the area for more than 100 years, was burned down.
Store’s owner, Trevor Reeves said:
“It’s just completely destroyed. Words fail me. It’s just gone, it’s five generations. My father is distraught. It’s just mindless thuggery.”
A woman was filmed jumping from a burning building which had been set on fire by rioters.
A 26-year-old man was injured in a non-fatal shooting.
Clapham, south London
A groups of 1,000 rioters – many of them wearing masks – raided a Debenhams store and a number shops in Lavender Hill. A jewellery shop was also looted.
Clapham police officers cluster near a burned out shop
Residents were told to stay indoors and the youths ran riot.
“We don’t want people getting hurt by their bombs and missiles,” an officer said.
Peckham, South-East London
500 rioters vandalized shops, lit fires and attacked police on Peckham High Street. A fire was started in a Greggs’ bakery.
Looters jump out from smashed up store in Peckham
A nearby bus was also set on fire and bins and an abandoned vehicle were set ablaze in Lewisham.
Ealing, West London
Gangs of rioters gathered opposite Ealing Broadway Tube, throwing bricks at local shops, starting fires in the street and setting cars ablaze.
Car fire extingushed on a street in Ealing
Bethnal Green, East London
A Tesco’s garage was looted and 2 officers were injured.
A shop on Roman Road was also broken into and robbed. Police said there had also been looting in Newham.
Fulham, West London
Rioters looted electrical store Curry’s.
Hammersmith, West London
Stores looted. Shopkeepers in Shepherd’s Bush barricaded their businesses to try to keep out troublemakers.
Woolwich, South London
PC World was looted and rioters made off with large flat screen TVs and other electronic goods.
Firefighters extinguishing the flames of a torched store in Woolwich
Camden and Chalk Farm, North London
Gangs of youths roamed, buildings were vandalized.
Enfield, North London
40 firefighters were called to fight a huge blaze at a Sony warehouse in Solar Way.
Gangs looting a convenience store
