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Man, 22, is fourth person arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder over Woolwich attack
- Two men aged 24 and 28 were arrested at a residential address in London
- A further 21-year-old man was arrested in the street in Charlton
- The Counter Terrorism Command used tasers to detain two of them
- The two men suspected of murdering Drummer Rigby, 25, in Woolwich remain in hospital after being shot by police
By Simon Murphy
PUBLISHED:16:49 EST, 25 May 2013| UPDATED:10:18 EST, 26 May 2013
Armed police have arrested a 22-year-old man today on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Drummer Lee Rigby.
Counter-terrorism officers supported by armed police swooped on an address in Highbury Grove, north London, Scotland Yard said.
It comes after officers last night arrested three people on suspicion of conspiring to murder the solider.
Three more men have been arrested for the death of Drummer Lee Rigby last week
Police with machine guns stormed three separate addresses in simultaneous raids across south-east London between 6pm and 6.30pm.
On the Lamb Estate in Greenwich, officers in balaclavas charged in to a first-floor flat and used a Taser on one suspect.
They arrested a Somali man and another unarmed man, both in their 20s.
Neighbour Tariq Mahmood, 54, a businessman, said: 'My daughter is traumatised. This is just a quiet estate. I can't believe this happened.'
Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command supported by specialist firearms officers raided a separate fourth-floor flat 300 yards away, believed to be the home of relatives of the Somali.
The arrests came as authorities in France investigated whether the killing was linked to an attack on a French soldier who was stabbed in the neck in a busy shopping area outside Paris today.
The two men suspected of murdering Drummer Rigby, 25, in Woolwich remain in hospital after being shot by police when they charged towards armed officers on Wednesday, while a 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder has now been released on bail, police confirmed tonight.
A great character: Father of one and soldier Rigby, of Greater Manchester, pictured relaxing on Army leave
The two men suspected of murdering Drummer Rigby, who have been identified as Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, 22, remain in a stable condition in hospital, police added.
Drummer Rigby was hit by a car and then attacked with weapons including a knife and a meat cleaver but the cause of his death has not been confirmed by a post-mortem examination.
The young father's murder has provoked a backlash of anger across the country, with many incidents of mosques being attacked, racial abuse and comments made on social media.
Attack: Drummer Rigby was killed on the street in Woolwich, south London when Michael Adebolajo launched his attack
Suspect: Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, south-east London, with a knife in his hand at the scene where Lee Rigby was stabbed to death
Two suspects remain in hospital after police shot them at the scene
But close to the spot where he was brutally hacked to death, people showed solidarity today as they comforted one another and left floral tributes, adding to the thousands of bouquets already there.
Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is to investigate following the disclosure that Adebolajo and Adebowale were known to MI5.
Police refused to comment on reports tonight that Adebowale was arrested two months ago.
Two women aged 29 and 31 have both been released without charge after they were held on Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, while a number of other people not directly involved with the attack have been charged over malicious comments made on social networking sites.
Searches have also been taking place at three other addresses in south London, one in east London, one in north London and one in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, the former home of Adebolajo.
French president Francois Hollande said authorities were investigating any possible link between the Paris attack, which was not believed to have seriously injured the 23-year-old soldier, and that on Drummer Rigby.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was unable to say whether police were connecting the incidents.
The father of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor said tonight that he had acted as a mentor to Adebowale, who was known to his friends as Toby.
Grief: A wellwisher outside the army barracks, 200 yards from where Drummer Lee Rigby was killed, by the huge - and growing - pile of flowers
'Dear soldier': A handwritten note left in honour of Lee Rigby close to the scene of the brutal murder in Woolwich
Asked about Wednesday's events, Richard Taylor told ITV News: 'I was terribly shocked at what I saw that day.
'It's a different Toby or Michael that I was seeing that day. I don't believe it was anything Islamic.'
Mr Taylor, whose son was just ten when he was killed in the capital in 2000, said he had tried to help Adebowale after he was bullied at school and then became involved in drugs and gangs.
But he said that when he spoke to Adebowale two months ago, he told him that he had changed his ways as he had become a Muslim.
He went on:'Having seen how my own son was stabbed to death, made me feel that... whatever happens, they will still be alive, they will still be on the street or maybe they will take them away from the public or change their faces. They don't deserve to live.'
it was Drummer Rigby's dream to join the army. Thousands of people have left tributes to him since his death last week
Meanwhile the BNP has been accused of cynically exploiting the killing to further its 'own poisonous ends' after the far right group announced it would be demonstrating in Woolwich next Saturday.
And up to 2,000 people took part in a EDL march in Newcastle today, which was planned before Wednesday's attack. Earlier this month it was predicted that 500 would turn up.
EDL supporters sang 'RIP Lee Rigby' as they marched through the city while a Union flag with his name on was displayed to cheers. Police said three people were arrested for allegedly making racist tweets before it had begun.
Drummer Rigby's family yesterday paid tribute to the soldier they described as their 'hero'.
'Lee's dream growing up was always to join the Army, which he succeeded in doing. He was dedicated and loved his job,' they said in a statement.
Drummer Rigby's wife Rebecca, mother of their two-year-old son Jack, said through tears that he was 'a devoted father'.
Along with the floral tributes at the corner of John Wilson Street and Artillery Place where the attack took place, many hundreds more have been left outside the entrance to Woolwich barracks a few hundred yards away, where Drummer Rigby was based.
A book of condolence has been opened at Woolwich Town Hall, where opening hours have been extended over the bank holiday weekend to allow the public to pay their respects.
Professor David Maguire, vice-chancellor of the University of Greenwich, confirmed that Adebolajo had been a student there for two years but had been thrown out because his 'academic progress was unsatisfactory'.
Adebowale had not studied there, he said.
The professor added: 'The university takes its responsibilities very seriously in terms of preventing extremism. We are committed to ensuring that the university is a safe and secure place of study and debate within the confines of the law. We have diverse communities on campus and these include a range of different faiths.
'Given the seriousness of issues raised, the university is setting up an investigation into the association of these two individuals with the university, to assess whether there is any evidence of extremism in the university (past or present) and whether we need to update our policies and practices.'
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