Murder of Lee Rigby

Murder of Lee Rigby
Tribute to Lee Rigby, Manchester Day Parade, 2 June 2013[1]
Location	Woolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England
Coordinates	51°29′18″N 0°03′43″E / 51.488231°N 0.062034°E / 51.488231; 0.062034
Date	22 May 2013 (2013-05-22) 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[2]
Perpetrators	Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale
Motive	Retaliation for British military presence in Islamic countries

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^[3] near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Rigby was off duty and walking along Wellington Street when he was attacked.^[10] Adebolajo and Adebowale ran him down with a car, then used knives and a cleaver to stab and hack him to death.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[12] Adebolajo and Adebowale are British of Nigerian descent, were raised as Christians, and converted to Islam.^[13]

On 19 December 2013, both of the attackers were found guilty of Rigby's murder.^[14] 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.^[15] The attack was condemned by political and Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom and in the international press.^[16][17]