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Kenya lawyer says London murder suspect freed on British advice
By Joseph Akwiri
MOMBASA, Kenya | Wed May 29, 2013 2:50pm EDT
(Reuters) - A Kenyan lawyer who in 2010 represented a man suspected of hacking a British soldier to death in London last week said on Wednesday the suspect was freed from arrest in Kenya three years ago on the recommendation of the British High Commission.
Britain's authorities face questions about what they knew about the activities of two Britons of Nigerian descent suspected of butchering Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old veteran of the Afghan war, in broad daylight in a London street.
The two men, one of whom, Michael Adebolajo, was arrested in Kenya in 2010 for allegedly trying to join an Islamist militant group, said they killed Rigby in the name of Islam. The killing has provoked an anti-Muslim backlash in multi-racial Britain.
Wycliffe Makasembo, who was the lawyer for Adebolajo at the time of his 2010 arrest in the tourist town of Lamu, said Kenyan anti-terrorism police detained him and six others when they tried to travel north to Somalia in a speedboat.
They were suspected of attempting to go to train with the al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group al Shabaab in Somalia, and were presented in a court in Mombasa, south of Lamu.
Makasembo told Reuters that Kenyan police at the time sought more information about Adebolajo, a 28-year-old British-born convert from a Christian Nigerian family, from the British High Commission in Nairobi.
He added the British diplomatic mission replied in a letter to the police that "gave a clean bill of health that Michael Adebolajo had no criminal record or any connection with any criminal or terrorist organization in the world".
"Our own intelligence in Kenya were reluctant to release him, but it is the British High Commission which recommended that the suspect be released," Makasembo said, adding he had seen the letter at the time of the court appearance.
Adebolajo was deported back to Britain and the other six, all Kenyans, were also released without charge.
Asked about the Kenyan lawyer's remarks, a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on Wednesday declined to comment on them specifically.
"We can confirm that a British national was arrested in Kenya in 2010 and the FCO provided consular assistance as normal for British nationals," the spokesman said.
Police shot and wounded Rigby's assailants at the scene of the crime in London.
KENYA "NOT TO BLAME"
Sources close to the investigation have told Reuters the attackers were known to Britain's MI5 internal security service. Adebolajo had handed out radical Islamist pamphlets, but neither of the two men was considered a serious threat, sources said.
That has intensified calls for Britain's spy agencies to explain what they knew about the suspects and whether they could have done more to prevent Rigby's killing.
Britain's ITV News channel reported that Adebalajo -- who went by the nickname Mujahid, or warrior, after taking up Islam as a teenager -- and his family were approached by security services MI5 and MI6 who tried to recruit him as an informant.
It quoted his brother in law, James Thompson, as saying Adebolajo changed dramatically after his detention in Kenya where he said he was tortured and felt abandoned by his government.
Lawyer Makasembo said Kenya was "not to blame" for the London killing. "It is the British themselves who defended him from our law enforcers ... Had he been charged here, the killing of the British soldier would never have occurred," he said.
Police have arrested 10 people in connection to the murder. The second man shot and arrested at the scene of the crime, Michael Adebowale, 22, was discharged from hospital on Monday and moved into police custody where he was arrested on a separate charge of the attempted murder of a police officer.
The murder has galvanized Britain's small but noisy far-right movement, with more than 1,000 protesters shouting "Muslim killers, off our streets" marching through central London on Monday.
(Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina in London; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Giles Elgood)
Man appears in London court over killing of British soldier
LONDON | Thu May 30, 2013 6:26am EDT
(Reuters) - A man appeared in handcuffs in a London court on Thursday charged with the killing of a British soldier on a busy London street last week.
Michael Adebowale, 22, was charged late on Wednesday with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old serving soldier.
Adebowale was arrested at the scene of the attack along with another man after being shot and detained by police. He was also charged with possession of a firearm.
Looking dazed and limping slightly, Adebowale made his first court appearance wearing white trousers and a light grey sweatshirt.
Asked to confirm his name and address in London, he only said "yes". The charges were then read out to him during the brief hearing.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Britain's central criminal court, the Old Bailey, on Monday.
Rigby, a veteran of the Afghan war, was killed in broad daylight by two men in southeastern London on May 22.
A second man, Michael Adebolajo, remains under arrest and in a stable condition in hospital.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon Writing by Maria Golovnina; editing by Stephen Addison)
Suspect in killing of UK soldier arrested on release from hospital
By Li-mei Hoang
LONDON | Fri May 31, 2013 12:57pm EDT
(Reuters) - One of two men accused of murdering a British soldier on a London street last week was arrested by detectives after being discharged from hospital on Friday.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, had been undergoing treatment after being shot by police in the aftermath of the attack on Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, southeast London last Friday.
He is now in custody at a south London police station where he is being quizzed by counter terrorism detectives on suspicion of murdering Rigby and the attempted murder of a police officer.
On Thursday, the other of the two suspects, Michael Adebowale, appeared in court charged with murdering the soldier.
The attack caused "extensive and serious injuries" to Rigby who was on his way home to army barracks in Woolwich after working at the Tower of London, Detective Chief Inspector Grant Mallon told an inquest into his death on Friday.
The inquest was adjourned to an unspecified date to allow police time to continue their inquiries.
Separately on Friday, officers investigating Rigby's killing said they had arrested two men aged 42 and 46 in east and north London on suspicion of being involved in the supply of illegal firearms. No further details were given.
Earlier, Rigby's family released a statement saying his death should not be used as a pretext for reprisal attacks, amid mounting community tensions.
There have been attacks against mosques in the wake of the killing and far-right groups plan demonstrations in several English cities this weekend.
"We would like to emphasize that Lee would not want people to use his name as an excuse to carry out attacks against others," the family statement said.
"Lee loved life and he loved people. He had many friends from different walks of life - some with different religious beliefs and cultures. But this made no difference to Lee," they added.
Earlier on Friday, detectives charged a friend of Adebolajo with three offences under the terrorism act which they said were unrelated to the Woolwich incident.
Abu Nusaybah, 31, who was arrested immediately after giving an interview to the BBC in the wake of last week's attack, is accused of recording video lectures and helping others to access content that encouraged viewers to commit, prepare or instigate acts of terrorism.
Nusaybah, also known as Ibrahim Abdullah-Hassan, from east London, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday afternoon for a brief hearing. His defense counsel Mozammel Hossain indicated he would be entering not guilty pleas.
(Additional reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Andrew Roche)
Second man charged with murder of soldier in London
Reuters June 2, 2013, 4:25 am
LONDON (Reuters) - British counter-terrorism police charged a second man on Saturday with the May 22 murder of Lee Rigby, a serving soldier, on a London street.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, was also charged with the attempted murder of two police officers and with possession of a firearm, a 9.4 mm revolver, with intent to cause others to believe that violence would be used.
Adebolajo was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, police said in a statement.
Michael Adebowale, 22, appeared at the same court on Thursday charged with Rigby's murder and possession of a firearm. He was remanded in custody to appear at London's Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, for a bail hearing on Monday.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled at the Old Bailey for June 28.
Both men were shot by police at the scene of Rigby's killing, a street in the southeast London neighbourhood of Woolwich.
They were then arrested and taken to London hospitals. Adebowale was discharged from hospital on Tuesday and Adebolajo on Friday.
Rigby died at the scene of the killing. A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple cuts and stab wounds.
Prime Minister David Cameron called the attack "a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country", vowing that Britain would never give in to terrorism in any of its forms.
Police, politicians and religious leaders have appealed for calm and unity in the wake of the killing but there have been some street protests by small far-right groups.
Earlier on Saturday, police prevented about 150 protesters from the far-right British National Party from marching towards a much larger anti-fascist counter-demonstration near the Houses in central London.
Police arrested 58 protesters from the anti-fascist camp for refusing to remain within their designated penned area.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Patrick Graham)
Posing like Usain Bolt and kissing the Koran, Woolwich suspect now known as 'Abu Hamza'
28 year old taken into Westminster Magistrates' Court in armoured vehicle
Adebolajo had his left arm bandaged and called himself Mujahid Abu Hamza
Apparently blew kisses to a man and refused to stand in 12-minute hearing
He gripped the Koran with his good arm throughout and pointed upwards
Alleged accomplice Michael Adebowale also appeared in separate hearing
Both are charged with the murder of Lee Rigby and other linked crimes
By ARTHUR MARTIN and MARTIN ROBINSON PUBLISHED: 10:02 GMT, 3 June 2013 | UPDATED: 01:32 GMT, 4 June 2013 1.1k shares
Raising his arm into a Usain Bolt pose, Michael Adebolajo kisses a copy of the Koran with his eyes closed.The terror suspect went through this routine as he appeared in court yesterday accused of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby. Stooping in the dock with a large bandage on his left arm, the 28-year-old demanded to be called ‘Abu Hamza’.
In court: Raising his arm into a Usain Bolt pose, Michael Adebolajo kisses a copy of the Koran with his eyes closed
Exchange: Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of a member of the public gallery blowing kisses at Michael Adebolajo in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court
Clutching a copy of the Koran in his right hand, Adebolajo repeatedly interrupted the hearing.At one point he said: ‘I’m only a man. I would like to alleviate the pain if I may.’ Then suddenly he held his hands aloft and closed his eyes before kissing the Koran. Throughout the 12-minute hearing Adebolajo blew kisses towards a relative in the public gallery, understood to be his younger brother Jeremiah. Wearing a white T-shirt and trousers, he remained seated when deputy chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnott entered Westminster Magistrates Court in London for the hearing. When he was told to stand by the court clerk, he asked: ‘May I ask why?’ The defendant was then told it was a customary part of the court process, to which he replied: ‘Then I will sit’.Addressing Adebolajo, the court clerk said: ‘I understand that you wish to be known as Mujahid Abu Hamza.’
Unusual: Michael Adebolajo made a series of gestures in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court, including kissing the Koran while pointing the the sky
Hearing: Woolwich suspect Michael Adebolajo, whose left arm was heavily bandaged, refused to stand in court yesterday morning and held the Koran throughout
Gesture: Those in court said that Adebolajo apparently blew kisses to this man from the dock, the unnamed named then reportedly pointed to the sky
The defendant replied: ‘That is correct.’ He was then referred to as ‘Mr Abu Hamza’ throughout the remainder of the hearing. Adebolajo is accused of killing Drummer Rigby, 25, just yards from Woolwich army barracks in broad daylight on May 22. Drummer Rigby, who leaves behind a two year-old son called Jack and a fiancée, died from multiple stab wounds and had to be identified by his dental records. Adebolajo, from Romford, Essex, was shot by police and spent just over a week being treated for his injuries under armed guard in hospital. The defendant is also charged with attempting to murder two police officers, known as E38 and D49. He faces a fourth charge of possessing a 9.4mm revolver with intent to cause persons to believe that unlawful violence would be used against him.
Hearing: A police van drives Michael Adebolajo into Westminster Magistrates' Court, to face charges linked to the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich
Guard: Armed police closed off roads around the court as the prisoner was swept into the central London court
High profile: Adebolajo, 28, who was inside this van, is accused of a series of crimes linked to Drummer Rigby
Shouting from the dock in a slightly slurred voice, Adebolajo said: ‘May I respond please? I’m not sure I’ve heard those specific charges put to me like that before.’
Court case: Adebolajo appeared to blow a kiss to this unnamed man, who was pictured outside court
The magistrate told him it was normal procedure for suspects to have the charges read out to them. To which Adebolajo replied: ‘I’ve got an idea, somewhere along the line a jobs-worth came up with a very foolish rule that a criminal, or so-called criminals, in the dock may not respond. For what reason?’Mrs Arbuthnott told him that most suspects wanted to know the charges they faced. Adebolajo replied: ‘You are correct and I do not disagree with that.’As the hearing progressed Adebolajo – who was flanked by two plain clothes police officers and a security guard – suddenly seemed happy to stand up when asked.
At one point David Gottlieb, defending, told him to calm down and said it was just a ‘routine hearing’.The court heard that the police have instructed a ‘world famous forensic psychologist’ to help them with their investigation. Mark Topping, a specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter terrorism division, said: ‘The Crown says the charges are indictable only and they must be sent to the Central Criminal Court.’ Adebolajo was remanded into custody and will appear at the Old Bailey either today or tomorrow for a procedural hearing.He will then appear at the same court on June 28 alongside Michael Adebowale, who appeared in court last week charged with the murder of Drummer Rigby.
Charges: Michael Adebolajo (left) and Michael Adebowale (right) are accused of murdering Lee Rigby and other related charges
Ring of steel: Armed police outside Westminster Magistrates' Court to deal with the appearance of Michael Adebolajo, 28
Police presence: Large numbers of officers were brought into Central London to guard the court while Adebolajo was inside
Tragic: Drummer Lee Rigby died in the street as he walked back to his barracks in Woolwich
Outside court armed officers patrolled the streets with unarmed colleagues.Meanwhile, at a short procedural hearing at the Old Bailey, Adebowale, 22, was once again ordered to remain in custody until June 28. Neither defendant has entered pleas to any of the charges. Eight other people have been arrested during the investigation into Drummer Rigby’s death. Six men, aged between 21 and 50, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. All have been released on police bail.Rikki Thomas, 29, who is understood to be Adebolajo’s partner, and her sister, Danielle, 31, were also arrested last week but subsequently released.
