The horrific murder of Fisulier Lee Rigby by two “soldiers of Allah” -- i.e., terrorists -- stunned Great Britain and the world last May. Such carnage and savagery is not a common occurrence in civilized society, and therefore has raised serious questions about the rise and expansion of radical extremism on the Island. And although the two men found guilty of murdering the 25-year-old Afghanistan war veteran -- Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale -- will not be sentenced until next year, one at least hopes the jury’s decision will, at long last, bring his family some closure:
A jury on Thursday convicted two men who called themselves "soldiers of Allah" of murdering a British soldier who was run down with a car, stabbed to death and nearly decapitated in a brutal attack on a London street.
The jury of eight women and four men deliberated for just 90 minutes before finding Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale guilty of murdering Fusilier Lee Rigby. They were acquitted of attempting to murder a police officer.
Both men had pleaded not guilty to murder, though neither denied taking part in the May 22 attack.
The judge praised the dignity of Rigby's family "throughout what must have been the most harrowing of evidence." He thanked jurors, who sat through graphic footage of the murder, for their service.
Rigby was not sought out individually by these two radicals. Sadly, he was targeted simply because he was the first British soldier they spotted:
"We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we've killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers," Adebolajo told the camera, according to Reuters.
Adebolajo later told the police, in an interview played in court, that Rigby had been targeted because "he was the soldier that was spotted first."
The good news is that these two murderers will never be able to harm innocents again. May their prison sentences be as hellish as they are long.