The British soldier who was murdered in a terrifying attack in London has been identified as Lee Rigby, 25. Lee was an avid drummer and a father to a two-year-old boy. So sad.
Lee Rigby has been identified as the soldier who was killed in the devastating terrorist attack in London on May 22. Lee, 25, who is described as “cheeky and humorous,” was a “loving father” to his 2-year-old son called Jack, and he was a fan of drumming and soccer. The Ministry of Defense has since released a touching statement about the man known as “Riggers.” Read on.
Lee Rigby Was A Young Father
Lee was killed in a violent attack on a London street near the Woolwich Army Barracks by two extremist men. The devastating and heinous crime has shocked the nation of Britain, and Lee was officially identified as the murder victim on May 23.
This is such devastating news. Lee was described as a “loving father” to his young son Jack, who will sadly never see him again. He also had a estranged wife, who has not been named.
Lee was clearly at the height of his career when he was unjustly killed, and he is described as a wonderful friend and a larger-than-life person. He lived life to the full, and he was highly respected in the army.
Dozens of bouquets of flowers have been laid were he was killed, showing how much the public have been affected by his death, with many calling him a “hero,” says the Daily Mail.
Read the touching statement below.
The Ministry Of Defense Release Full Statement:
Drummer Lee Rigby, or 'Riggers' to his friends, was born in July 1987 in Crumpsall, Manchester.
He joined the Army in 2006 and on successful completion of his infantry training course at Infantry Training Centre Catterick he was selected to be a member of the Corps of Drums and posted to 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. His first posting was as a machine gunner in Cyprus where the Battalion was serving as the resident Infantry Battalion in Dhekelia.
Having performed a plethora of tasks while in Cyprus, he returned to the UK in the early part of 2008 to Hounslow, west London. Here, Drummer Rigby stood proudly outside the Royal Palaces as part of the Battalion's public duties commitment. He was an integral member of the Corps of Drums throughout the Battalion's time on public duties, the highlight of which was being a part of the Household Division's Beating the Retreat – a real honour for a line infantry Corps of Drums.
In April 2009 Drummer Rigby deployed on Operations for the first time to Helmand province, Afghanistan, where he served as a member of the Fire Support Group in Patrol Base Woqab. On returning to the UK he completed a second tour of public duties and then moved with the Battalion to Celle, Germany, to be held at a state of high readiness for contingency operations as part of the Small Scale Contingency Battle Group.
In 2011 Drummer Rigby took up a Recruiting post in London where he also assisted with duties at Regimental Headquarters in the Tower of London.
An extremely popular and witty soldier, Drummer Rigby was a larger than life personality within the Corps of Drums and was well known, liked and respected across the Second Fusiliers. He was a passionate and life-long Manchester United fan.
A loving father to his son Jack, aged two years, he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The regiment's thoughts and prayers are with his family during this extremely difficult time. "Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier."
Two suspects have been arrested and Prime Minister David Cameron says Britain’s security services will not rest until they bring all those responsible to justice.
Lee Rigby Attacked & Killed On London Street
Lee was hit by a car and then attacked and killed by two men holding meat cleavers. One man holding a meat cleaver is reported to have said: "we swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you."
Witnesses said that the attack was vicious.
A witness said Michael Atlee told CNN said that he heard gunshots, and when he arrived at the scene there was blood all over the ground. Another witness called Lauren Collins said: "I still am quite shaken at what I've seen — I've seen a victim of an awful attack, and I've seen a body of a young man."
Our thoughts go out to Lee’s son and family.
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– Eleanore Hutch
More On The London Attack:
- Soldier's Death In London Is Thought To Be A Terrorist Attack
- London Terror Murder: 4 Brave Women Stopped Machete Killers
