A man today was hacked to death with a machete today on a busy southeast London street by two attackers before giving a rant about Islam to spectators. Police wounded both assailants in the attack as they were shot, taken into custody and treated at local hospitals.
As the man was reported to be a British solider, and his assailants violent carnage lead Prime Minister David Cameron to return early from a diplomatic voyage to Paris to deal with what he described as a “likely terrorist attack,” according to The Washington Post . With what Cameron believes is strong indications of a terrorist attack, he has thus far increased military installations in Britain.
He told The Washington Post ,“The killing in Woolwich is truly shocking,” later adding, “we’ve had these sorts of attacks before in our country, and we will never buckle in the face of them.” While British authorities scramble to gather information about the attack, connections to Islamist extremist groups, and to control the media surrounding the incident.
What is so abrupt about the attack is the number of gruesome videos and photos posted of man’s brutal death, as the assailants called for bystanders to film them and capture the incident. Footage showing the men wielding a bloodied meat cleaver and ranting political and religious views are just some of those uploaded today and viewed by the people of Woolwich, and the world according to BBC News London. Horrified witnesses shared their media and the images have piled up quite high. The time and place of the attack as well – in the middle of broad daylight and on a public street – continues to lead analysts to mark this a terrorist attack. Britain, as the leading U.S. ally in Afghanistan, has combatted several terrorism plots and even “a launched a national program aimed at deradicalizing at-risk youths,” according to The Washington Post . Valentina Soria, IHS Jane’s Consulting terrorism expert, said a national security meeting held so quickly after the murder could mean that the assailants were not in known of by Britain’s intelligence agencies.