Michael Adebolajo, 28, Gives Evidence For The First Time At Old Bailey

Woolwich 'murderer' Michael Adebolajo today admitted killing Lee Rigby in a 'military attack' and  described his attempts to decapitate him at the Old Bailey today.

The 28-year-old's account of knocking down the Fusilier and trying to cut off his head led to Drummer Rigby's widow running from the court.  He and Michael Adebowale, 22, are accused of murdering Fusilier Rigby by running him down with a car and then hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22.

He told the court: 'After I struck the neck, I used another of the knives I had sharpened to try and remove the head but I was unsuccessful in this attempt.'  In cross-examination, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC earlier asked Adebolajo: 'You and your co-defendant, acting together, killed Lee Rigby, didn't you?'
He replied: 'Yes.'

The barrister asked: 'That's because together you had agreed to kill someone. Do you agree?'
Again, Adebolajo replied: 'Yes.'

He went on: 'We planned a military attack which obviously involved, sadly - it's not something enjoyable, something fantastic - the death of a soldier. It's a military attack.'

When asked whether the killing was political, he told the jury: 'Jihad by its very nature is political.'
Adebolajo described the killing of Fusilier Rigby as a 'military operation'.

He said: 'No Muslim hopes to have to kill anybody, that's the first thing to make clear.
'Just as a general plans attacks knowing full well that when he plans this attack people will die, this is what happens in war, so when we target a soldier this is a similar thing.

'It's not a casual joke. It's a military operation. This is how we see it.
'To fight Jihad for the sake of Allah, it's not something that is to be taken lightly, fun or something like this.
'Those responsible for sending British troops to kill Muslims, it just so happens, those people who have influence and control over the military are the Government, yes.'

Asked if the attack was designed to intimidate the public, Adebolajo said: 'The truth is this, the Government and the British public have become aware of Jihad over the past years, a lot of people know the only reason it is occuring is because of foreign policy.'

Adebolajo denied that he threw Fusilier Rigby's body into the path of an incoming vehicle.
He told the jury he wanted to deter 'have-a-go heroes' from approaching him.

He refused to answer questions about how long he and Adebowale had allegedly spent planning the attack.

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