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‘We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you’: Chilling words of bloodied man ‘after he hacked soldier to death in terror attack’

By C. J. Refsland on May 22, 2013 • ( 3 )

(Daily Mail) A dramatic video emerged tonight of a man with bloodied hands, carrying knives and ranting ‘We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you’, after a serving soldier was hacked to death by two men just 200 yards from an Army barracks.

The man can be seen and heard talking to the camera in footage obtained by ITV News.

It came as terrified eyewitnesses saw two men shot by police marksmen after the machete attack in Woolwich, south-east London.

It is thought that the two men waited around for 20 minutes until police arrived and then tried to attack them – but were swiftly shot by armed officers including a woman.

They apparently shouted ‘Allah Akbar’, which means ‘God is great’ in Arabic, and tried to film the attack, the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson said.

Theresa May tonight called a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee in response to the machete and knife attack on the man who was wearing a Help for Heroes t-shirt.

The Home Secretary said she had been briefed on the killing by the head of MI5 and police later confirmed they were treating the incident as a possible terror attack.

Shocking: This exclusive still from a video obtained by ITV News shows a man with bloodied hands and carrying knives speaking to a camera in Woolwich, south-east London

Scene: One man died at the scene here in John Wilson Street, south London this afternoon while two were seriously injured

Two men were rushed to hospital this afternoon while another man died after apparently being hacked to death in Woolwich

Eyewitnesses said the ‘crazed’ men, aged in their 20s, launched a ferocious attack and were ‘hacking at him, chopping him and cutting him.’

Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter that ‘the killing in Woolwich is truly shocking – I have asked the Home Secretary to chair a Cobra meeting.’

This afternoon the area’s MP, Nick Raynsford, told BBC Radio 5 Live he believed the victim, a man aged in his 20s, was a serving soldier.

The man is believed to have been hacked to death after a car crash. The scene of the attack is just 200 yards from Woolwich Barracks.

Mr Raynsford said: ‘We think a serving soldier was the victim. We don’t know the circumstances surrounding the incident. We do know a number of weapons have been seized.

‘They include a gun, various knives, and a machete, apparently. The police clearly had to take action in order to try and arrest these individuals.’

The Ministry of Defence said it was urgently looking at the reports that the incident involved a soldier but had no further comment.

Investigation: An air ambulance can be seen at the scene which is cordoned off after a soldier was hacked to death this afternoon

Probe: The incident is believed to have started after this car crashed. Fluid can be seen which has leaked from the car

Weapons: Forensic experts bag up evidence at the scene which is believed to include a number of weapons

Footage from a TV news helicopter showed a large number of weapons lying in the street following the incident. A London Ambulance Service spokesman said one man had died at the scene.

He added: ‘Our staff treated two others. Both men were taken to hospital, one of them is in a serious condition, the other is not.’

One witness, identified as James, said he and his partner saw two black men attack the young victim with knives, including a meat cleaver. ‘They were hacking at this poor guy, literally,’ he told LBC.

Metropolitan Police Commander Simon Letchford confirmed tonight that the two attackers were shot by armed officers.

He said in a statement: ‘At approximately 1420 we were called to reports of an assault in John Wilson Street, Woolwich, where one man was being assaulted by two other men.

‘A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack and this included reports of a firearm.

‘Officers including local Greenwich officers arrived at the scene and shortly after firearms officers arrived on the scene.

Killing: The attack happened on John Wilson Street in Woolwich, south-east London, this afternoon, close to the military barracks

Probe: Police cordon off surrounding roads after a man was killed in Woolwich, south London, this afternoon

Military: The victim was a serving soldier and is believed to be based at the nearby Woolwich barracks

‘On their arrival at the scene they found a man, who was later pronounced dead. At this early stage I am unable to provide any further information about the man who has died.

ROYAL ARTILLERY BARRACKS

The incident occurred some 200 yards from the Royal Artillery Barracks, adjacent to Woolwich Common, the historical home of the Royal Artillery.

The barracks, also known as the Woolwich station, now houses a number of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and independent companies of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards.

Woolwich Common remains a designated military training area.

The shooting events at the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were held at a temporary venue at the Barracks.

‘Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They were taken to separate London hospitals. They are receiving treatment for their injuries.

‘I can understand that this incident will cause community concerns and I would like to reiterate that we are investigating what has taken place today.

Luke Huseyin, 32, who lives in a block of flats on John Wilson Street, Woolwich, close to where the incident happened said he watched two men murder a man before being shot.

He said: ‘I was at home and heard a big bang. I looked out of the window and saw a car had crashed.

‘It was a blue Vauxhall. Then two black guys got out of the car dragging a white guy across the road towards the wall. One of the guys had a knife that looked about a foot long and a machete and the other bloke had a gun.

‘They started slashing him up with the knife and hitting him in the stomach with the machete. I don’t think it took long before he was dead. There were people passing by who were screaming and running away. I’ve never seen anything like it.