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LONDON (AFP) – A man accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street told police he was a “soldier of Allah” fighting a war against Britain but that the killing brought him little joy, a court heard Wednesday.
Michael Adebolajo, who is on trial with Michael Adebowale for the brutal murder of Lee Rigby near his barracks in the south London district of Woolwich in May, made the comments during interviews with police after his arrest.
Adebolajo has been asked to be referred to as Mujaahid Abu Hamza in court.
In recordings of the interviews shown to the jury at the Old Bailey criminal court in London, 28-year-old Adebolajo blamed his actions on “wicked” leaders such as Prime Minister David Cameron and his predecessor Tony Blair.
Asked by detectives to describe the killing, during which the two men allegedly hit Rigby with a car before attacking him with knives, Adebolajo said the soldier’s head was “almost detached and may Allah forgive me if I acted in a way that is displeasing to him”.
In another interview, during which he had a blue blanket over his head, Adebolajo said the killing was “for those people who have not yet understood the nature, the nature of the war that’s ongoing and has been ongoing for some many years between the Muslims and the British people”.
He went on: “Your leaders, you have leaders who rule over you, unfortunately they rule over you in a very wicked, corrupt, selfish and oppressive manner.”
Adebolajo said he was “particularly disgusted by David Cameron, the Miliband brothers and what’s-his-name, Nick Clegg”, referring to opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband, his brother David, and Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Clegg.
He also spoke of the “wickedness and corruption” of Blair, who took Britain in to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Cameron, he said, was “trying to emulate the footsteps of Tony Blair as if he worships him”.
But he added that it brought him “little joy to approach anybody and slay them”.
Rigby’s widow Rebecca left the court in tears as the interviews were played.
A psychiatrist’s report read to the court earlier on Wednesday found that Adebolajo showed “no regret or remorse”.
Adebolajo and 22-year-old Adebowale both deny murder.
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