British counter-terrorism police has charged Michael Adebolajo with
murder over the brutal hacking to death of a soldier on a London street.
Adebolajo, a Muslim convert, has been charged with the murder of
25-year-old soldier Lee Rigby as well as the attempted murder of two
police officers and possession of a firearm, London’s Metropolitan
Police said.
The 28-year old will appear before Westminster
Magistrates’ Court in London on 3 June. Adebolajo was one of two Muslim
converts of Nigerian descent who were shot by police at the scene of the
killing near Rigby’s barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, on 22 May.
He
and the other suspect, 22-year old Michael Adebowale, were taken to
separate hospitals under armed guard. Adebolajo was released from
hospital on Friday and questioned for a day by counter-terrorism
officers before being charged.
He was also charged with murder and possessing a firearm. Both
suspects were raised by Christian Nigerian families in London. The pair
were filmed and photographed at the murder scene by witnesses, but legal
restrictions prohibit the reporting of further details of the attack.
An
inquest into Rigby’s death heard that he was run over by a car before
being attacked by two men armed with a cleaver and a knife, on a quiet
suburban street in the middle of the afternoon. Adebowale made his first
court appearance on Thursday, speaking only to confirm his name and
address before being taken back into custody.
He is due to appear
for a bail application at London’s Old Bailey court on Monday, ahead of a
pre-trial hearing on June 28. Ten other people have been arrested in
connection with the case, including two women who have been released
without charge.
The murder is the first fatal Islamist attack in
Britain since suicide bombers killed 52 people in the London transport
network in 2005.
In France, a recent convert to Islam was charged
on Friday with stabbing a soldier in a busy commercial complex last
weekend. Rigby’s family have called for calm following a number of
attacks on British mosques and a rise in anti-Muslim incidents since the
shocking murder.
Dozens of people were arrested in London as far-right activists, marching in Rigby’s memory, faced off with anti-fascist demonstrators. Scotland Yard said 58 people from the Unite Against Fascism pressure group were arrested after they gathered to oppose a rally by the far-right British National Party (BNP) near the Houses of Parliament.
Dozens of people were arrested in London as far-right activists, marching in Rigby’s memory, faced off with anti-fascist demonstrators. Scotland Yard said 58 people from the Unite Against Fascism pressure group were arrested after they gathered to oppose a rally by the far-right British National Party (BNP) near the Houses of Parliament.
There were a couple of minor scuffles at the
demonstration, with one BNP supporter suffering from a bleeding nose,
but the groups were mainly restricted to trading chants as police
separated them behind metal barricades.
The BNP had hoped to march
in Woolwich but were banned from doing so by the police, fearing public
disorder. Many of their protesters carried the British flag and some
had signs saying ‘Hate Preachers Out’. “Britain is a tinderbox waiting
to explode. We are here — I hope — starting a debate to point out the
only way out, or the best way to get peace, is to disengage so there’s a
peace treaty between the West and Islam.” BNP leader Nick Griffin told
AFP.
Griffin added that: “We leave their lands — we stop attacking
them, we stop bombing their wedding parties — and in turn, they leave
ours. Then we can have peace.”
He stated that people should not
attack anyone. “We absolutely agree with what Lee Rigby’s family said
that nobody should use his death as an excuse or a reason to attack
anybody else.”
Anti-fascist demonstrators held up banners reading
‘Say no to Islamophobia’. Steve Hart, UAF chair, they would any leverage
on the murder of Rigby. “They’re trying to take advantage of the very
sad murder of a young soldier. We don’t allow the BNP on the streets
without opposition. In this city, London, the vast majority of the
population supports multiculturalism. We’re a multicultural city. We
like it, we love it, it’s the way we want to live,” he explained.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We really appreciate your daily reading, please kindly drop your comments. Contact dharmonevents@gmail.com, +2348186219581, +2348089201059 for tips, Advert placement, Event Planning & Catering Services. Thank you, *Hugs and Kisses*