Summary
In a recent episode of "The Crime Agents," crime journalist Andy Hughes and ex-police officer Niel Basu revisited the shocking murder of British soldier Lee Rigby, which occurred on May 22, 2013, in Woolwich, southeast London. Rigby, wearing a Help for Heroes hoodie, was brutally attacked by two Islamist extremists, Michael Adebowale and Michael Adebolajo, who ran him down with a car before using knives to kill him in broad daylight. The public nature of the attack stunned the nation, leading to a collective pause as footage of the incident circulated widely.
The attackers did not flee the scene but instead waited for police to arrive, engaging with the public instead of committing further violence. This drew attention to the response time of law enforcement, as it took around 15 minutes for armed officers to reach the scene. When they did, both attackers sprinted towards the police and were shot, yet both survived. The attack was framed within a larger context of extremism, as the perpetrators were already known to security services and had ties to extremist networks, raising questions about the effectiveness of surveillance and intervention strategies.
The podcast episode also explored the radicalization process, including how the attackers were influenced by figures like hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who had repeatedly espoused extremist ideologies. Following Rigby’s murder, there was a significant rise in far-right sentiments across the UK, notably marked by rallies organized by Tommy Robinson and the English Defence League, which sought to exploit public anger in the aftermath of the attack.
The discourse around the incident and its handling by media and law enforcement reflects ongoing challenges regarding radicalization, terrorism, and the complexities of free speech. The documentary-style recount of events provides insights into the psychological and social undercurrents that enabled both the attack and the subsequent rise of far-right extremism in Britain. The episode highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of terrorism, urging recognition of both violent jihadism and far-right extremism as equal threats to societal stability.
Show Notes
On 22 May 2013, Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered in broad daylight on a London street. His killers didn't flee, they waited, bloodied weapons in hand, and spoke to camera. It remains one of the most shocking terrorist attacks on British soil. Neil was a Met police commander in southeast London that day. He reveals what happened inside the Met's leadership team in the minutes after the attack, why it took 15 minutes for armed officers to arrive, and what the footage of those officers' response tells us about the reality of policing. Together, Andy and Neil examine the uncomfortable questions this case still raises: How were both attackers already known to MI5? Why was hate preacher Anjem Choudary allowed to radicalise young men for decades before being stopped? Should the media have broadcast a terrorist's self-made martyrdom video? And how did the murder of one soldier become the launchpad for a national far-right movement? Andy was in the newsroom when the infamous footage first surfaced, and at the EDL rally in Newcastle three days later when Tommy Robinson exploited Lee Rigby's death to galvanise thousands. This is the story of how one act of terror fractured British society in ways we're still living with today. Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents The Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
More from The Crime Agents
Introducing The Crime Agents Plus: the new subscription offering from The Crime Agents. For £4.99 a month, you can listen to every episode of the podcast ad-free, plus you'll have access to exclusive monthly bonus episodes and a fortnightly newsletter. Once a month, in the bonus episode of The Crime Agents Plus, Andy & Neil will take a deeper dive into a major crime story. They'll speak to special guests and go into more detail than they ever have time for in regular episodes to bring you insights you won't find anywhere else. In the first episode of The Crime Agents Plus, they revisit the case of Lucy Letby. Speaking to a journalist who was in the courtroom for the longest murder trial in British history, and to the author of a bestselling book all about the case, Andy & Neil will look again at the question which divides the nation: is Letby the worst child killer in modern British history, or the victim of one of the worst miscarriages of justice of all-time? Start your seven-day free trial now on Global Player by selecting The Crime Agents podcast or join on YouTube. The Crime Agents is a Global production.
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