Man killed in deadly terror attack in London street
Vikram Dodd-, • Alleged attacker is filmed brandishing knife and cleaver
• Two suspects shot by armed police
• Ministers holding emergency Cobra meeting
Follow the latest on the Woolwich attack here
Dramatic footage has emerged of the suspected terrorist attack near theLondon barracks that left one man dead, showing a suspect with blood-covered hands using jihadist rhetoric to justify the violence.
On Wednesday night the prime minister, David Cameron, vowed that Britain will "never buckle" in the face of terrorist incidents, and condemned the "absolutely sickening" killing in Woolwich.
As the government's emergency committee Cobra convened in central London to assess the implications of the incident, ITV News broadcast footage of one of the alleged attackers.
Brandishing a cleaver and a knife, and with the body of the victim lying yards away, the man said: "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day. This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"We must fight them. I apologise that women had to witness this today.
Map showing the exact location of the incident
"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."
The man then walks away and talks to another suspected attacker.
Later footage shows the aftermath after the two suspects were shot bypolice.
Police at the scene in Woolwich, south London, where a man was killed and two others were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds following a 'serious incident'. BBC screengrab
It is believed the person died after suffering knife injuries, possibly around the head area.
Two people have been taken to hospital after they were shot by armed police.
There were reports that the man who was fatally attacked was wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt.
The Woolwich and Greenwich MP, Nick Raynsford, said it was his understanding that one person, a serving soldier, was dead but there was no immediate confirmation of this from the Ministry of Defence.
The prime minister said: "Tonight, our thoughts should be with the victim, with their family, with their friends."
"People across Britain, people in every community, I believe, will utterly condemn this attack.
"We have had these sorts of attacks before in our country and we never buckle in the face of them."
Cameron was speaking at a Paris press conference with French president Francois Hollande but confirmed he would cut short the visit to return to the UK tonight to chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee in the morning.
Chiefs at the Woolwich barracks were understood to be trying to account for military personnel, amid reports the dead person may have been connected to the military. The incident happened 300-400 metres from the perimeter of the barracks.
The barracks is home to the Princess of Wales regiment and the Kings Troop, which is a ceremonial unit, that relocated to Woolwich last year.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the shooting by police, which is standard in cases where officers open fire.
In a statement the IPCC said it had "been made aware by Metropolitan Police Service of an incident in Woolwich, south London. IPCC investigators have been deployed to the scene and to the post-incident process. The IPCC has declared this as an independent investigation."
Earlier Raynsford said: "The incident occurred early afternoon. One individual is dead, two others are seriously injured and in hospital.
"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."
Video: London Attack: Jihadist Claims Filmed On Mobile
May 23, 2013
A man suspected of staging a terrorist attack that left a British soldier dead near a military barracks in London, was caught on camera clutching a meat cleaver and knife in hands apparently covered in the blood of his victim, as he justified the violence as part of a jihadist-inspired fight against the west, the Guardian reports.
We publish below the BBC report in full;
A man killed in a suspected terrorist attack in south-east London was a member of the armed forces, senior Whitehall sources have confirmed.
Two men spent the night under arrest in hospital as counter-terrorism police investigate the killing in Woolwich.
One man – his hands covered in blood- was filmed by a passer-by, saying he carried out the attack because British soldiers kill Muslims every day.
The PM is to chair a Cobra emergency response committee later.
David Cameron flew back from France yesterday to lead the government response. The meeting will be attended by politicians, the UK’s most senior police officer and the new head of MI5.
Meanwhile, security has been increased at barracks across London.
The two suspects were shot and wounded by police after the attack – which took place in John Wilson Street, the A205, at 14:20 BST.
One is in a serious condition while the other is also being treated for injuries.
Eyewitnesses say the victim was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamist slogans.
The men made no attempt to flee and encouraged people to take pictures of them and their victim.
One of the men was filmed wielding a bloodied meat cleaver and making political statements.
“I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same,” he said.
“You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”
The other was pictured holding a knife and speaking to a woman at the scene.
According to the paper, Cub Scout leader Ingrid Loyau-Kennett asked him: “Would you like to give me what you have in your hands?”
She added: “I did not want to say weapons but I thought it was better having them aimed on one person like me rather than everybody there – children were starting to leave school as well.”
A vehicle believed to be involved in the incident has been towed away from the scene – it is thought the victim may have been hit by the car before he was attacked.
The Muslim Council of Britain said the murder was “a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly”.
Meanwhile, a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and possession of an offensive weapon at a mosque in Braintree, Essex, on Wednesday night.
At a press conference with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, Mr Cameron said Britain would “never buckle” in the face of terror attacks.
“People across Britain, people in every community, I believe, will utterly condemn this attack,” said Mr Cameron, who was previously planning to stay in Paris on Wednesday night.
Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, MI5 director general Andrew Parker, Home Secretary Theresa May, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and Mayor of London Boris Johnson are among those expected to attend Thursday morning’s Cobra meeting.
Meanwhile, armed forces personnel based in London and elsewhere have been told to be more vigilant.
That is on top of the extra precautions now being taken at London’s 10 or so main barracks.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said that, since British forces intervened in Iraq and Afghanistan, they and their families have been well aware they might be targets at home.
At least two plots by Islamic extremists to kill soldiers in the UK have been foiled in recent years.
