A man accused of murdering a young fusilier in broad daylight on a London street told a court yesterday that he was a soldier at war and loved the Islamic militant group al Qaeda.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, is accused with co-defendant Michael Adebowale, 22, of running over Afghan war veteran Lee Rigby in Woolwich on May 22 before attacking his unconscious body with knives and a meat cleaver.
Adebolajo sat in the dock of the Old Bailey just metres away from Rigby’s family as he gave evidence for the first time. He told the court that he was engaged in a war against western nations fighting in Muslim countries.
Adebolajo and Adebowale, both British citizens, have both denied murder.
“I am a soldier of Allah. I understand that some people might not recognise this because we do not wear fatigues,” Adebolajo said, flanked by five prison guards in the heavily-secured courtroom.
“It’s a war between Islam and those militaries that invaded Muslim lands. One of them happens to be British military and, unfortunately, the war continues to this day.”
Adebolajo looked composed during most of his testimony, but became emotional when he told the court that he feared “hellfire” if he did not fight for Allah but remained with his wife and his six children instead.
Asked what should happen to him, Adebolajo said he considered death a possible consequence of the attack.
“I should be ransomed to my mujaheed (holy fighter) brothers or I should be set free or I should be killed,” Adebolajo said.
He told the hushed courtroom he had not seen his baby son since the day of his birth, just days before Rigby was murdered.
Adebolajo said that ever since his conversion he had thought he might one day end up killing a soldier, and expressed his admiration for al Qaeda.
“I love them. They are my brothers,” said Adebolajo, giving his name as Mujaahid Abu Hamza. “I have never met them but I love them.”
He told the jury he had tried to move to Somalia in 2010 because it embraced Islamic law, or sharia, but that he had been detained in Kenya, put on trial and brought back to Britain.
The jury has been shown footage of Adebolajo with bloodied hands talking to passers-by shortly after dragging Rigby’s body into the street so the public could see it.
