Murder of Lee Rigby
On the afternoon of 22 May 2013, a British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was attacked and killed by Islamist terrorists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.
| Murder of Lee Rigby | |
|---|---|
Tribute to Lee Rigby, Manchester Day Parade, 2 June 2013 | |
| Location | Woolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England |
| Coordinates | 51.488231°N 0.062034°E |
| Date | 22 May 2013 14:20 BST (UTC+01:00) |
Attack type | Vehicle-ramming attack, attempted decapitation, Islamic terrorism |
| Weapons | Car, cleaver, knife, and revolver |
| Injured | the 2 perpetrators |
| Victim | Lee Rigby |
| Perpetrators | Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale |
| Motive | Retaliation for British military presence in Islamic countries |
Rigby was off duty and walking along Wellington Street when he was attacked. Adebolajo and Adebowale ran him down with a car, then used knives and a cleaver to stab and hack him to death. The men dragged Rigby's body into the road and remained at the scene until police arrived, informing passers-by that they had murdered Rigby to avenge Muslims killed by the British military. 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 cleaver and brandishing a gun, charged at the police, who fired shots that wounded them both. They were apprehended and taken to separate hospitals. Adebolajo and Adebowale are British of Nigerian descent, were raised as Christians, and converted to Islam.
On 19 December 2013, both of the attackers were found guilty of Rigby's murder. On 26 February 2014, they were sentenced to life imprisonment, with Adebolajo given a whole life order and Adebowale ordered to serve at least 45 years. The attack was condemned by political and Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom and in the international press.