THREE OF THE nine people arrested in relation to the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby last week have been released on bail, Scotland Yard said this morning.
They had been arrested in south London on Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Police said the men are expected to return to a city station, pending further enquiries.
The two suspected killers, Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, remain under armed guard in separate hospitals after being shot by police at the scene last Wednesday.
A third man, arrested yesterday, is also still in custody at a south London police station.
One other man and two women were also arrested as part of the investigation. The two women were released without charge, while the 29-year-old man was bailed to return on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
In a statement this morning, the Metropolitan Police Service said it was working “tirelessly and painstakingly to uncover the full circumstances relating to the murder”. Its Counter Terrorism Command is being assisted by national counter-terrorism officers and the Security Service.
Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old father, husband and serving soldier, was killed in a brutal attack in broad daylight on 22 May.
The gruesome nature of the murder — some witnesses say the men tried to decapitate their victim — their politically-fuelled rants to passers-by, and their apparent desire for publicity all point to militant Islamist extremism, experts say.
-Additional reporting by AFP
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