The two men on trial for the grisly daytime street murder of British soldier Lee Rigby were found guilty on Thursday.
Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, were found guilty of first hitting Mr. Rigby — a drummer who served in Britain’s military — with their car, and then hacking him to death in the streets of London, as horrified passersby watched and tried to intervene. The attack was a near decapitation of the 25-year-old drummer.
A YouTube video of the scene just minutes after the attack on May 22 went viral. The video showed Adebolajo with bloody hands holding a long-bladed knife or machete.
Adebolajo had said he was a “soldier of Allah” during court testimony, and that the killing — which he denied was a murder — was a righteous act of war, BBC reported.
The jury on Thursday — eight women, four men — spent about 90 minutes in deliberations, before finding the two guilty of Rigby’s murder, The Associated Press said. The jury also found the two not guilty of attempting to murder a police officer who tried to intervene and apprehend them.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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