Lee’s cause of death unclear as dramatic Woolwich footage emerges

Drummer Rigby, 25, was hacked to death in the street in a horrifying attack in Woolwich, south-east London on Wednesday.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on his body yesterday but no cause of death has been confirmed, Scotland Yard said.

An inquest into his death will be opened in due course.

Detectives are questioning a man and a woman, both 29, who were arrested yesterday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Drummer Rigby.

Scotland Yard has not revealed whether officers have been able to speak to the two men who were shot by police in the wake of the murder.

They remain in hospital in a stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, having been arrested on suspicion of murder on Wednesday.

Dramatic footage has emerged of the two men apparently charging at armed police in the wake of the killing - one clutching bloodied weapons including a meat cleaver and the other a gun - and then being shot.

Other chilling film clips show one of the men with heavily bloodstained hands claiming he had carried out the killing in the name of Allah.

In moving tributes, father-of-one Drummer Rigby was described by his family as “a loving son, husband, father, brother and uncle”.

In a statement his family said: “Lee was lovely. He would do anything for anybody, he always looked after his sisters and always protected them. He took a ‘big brother’ role with everyone.

“All he wanted to do from when he was a little boy was be in the Army.

“He wanted to live life and enjoy himself. His family meant everything to him. He was a loving son, husband, father, brother, and uncle, and a friend to many.

“We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

Six residential addresses were searched yesterday as part of the investigation, three in south London, one in east London, one in north London and one in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, the former home of a man called Michael Adebolajo.

The second attacker has been named in reports as Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, of Greenwich, south-east London.

US president Barack Obama added his voice to those condemning the murder.

He said: “I condemn in the strongest terms the appalling attack against a British service member in Woolwich on May 22.

“The United States stands resolute with the United Kingdom, our ally and friend, against violent extremism and terror. There can be absolutely no justification for such acts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim, the police and security services responding to this horrific act and the communities they serve, and the British people.”

Drummer Rigby’s suspected murderers were British and of Nigerian descent.

The pair were known to security services, and apparently shouted “Allah akhbar” as they struck.

It is believed that the serving soldier was run over and then hacked to death, yards from a primary school.

Hundreds of bunches of flowers were tied to the railings of the barracks at the corner of John Wilson Street and Artillery Place, or placed on the wall.

Among the floral tributes were small wooden crosses bearing poppies, with “In Remembrance” written underneath.

Cards and messages read: “Goodnight and God bless young man”, “Such a senseless act” and “A young man taken so tragically”.

The vicar who married Drummer Rigby said the young soldier was very aware of the risks of joining the Army.

Fr Guy Jamieson, of St Annes Church, Southowram, West Yorkshire, told BBC Breakfast: “He was somebody who spoke very openly, very easily and quietly. A little bit of humour here and there.

“We were very aware he was entering into two enormous commitments - one was with the military, one was with his marriage. We were very aware of the kind of increased risk factor that was involved.

“We often talked about the way in which he would more than likely be sent overseas at some stage in the early years of his married life.”

Drummer Rigby married Rebecca Metcalfe at St Anne’s in 2007.