An Islamist suspect reportedly ran over a British solider with a car in broad daylight, and then two attackers hacked him to death, dumping his body in the middle of the road in southeast London, CNN reported. The victim, dressed in what authorities said was a T-shirt for Help for Heroes, a charity that helps military veterans. The attackers then picked up a camera.
"We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone," said a meat cleaver-male with bloody hands. "The only reasons we killed this man is because Muslims are dying daily. This British soldier is an eye for an eye a tooth for tooth," he said .
"We have seen terrorism on the streets of Britain before and we have always stood against it," British Home Secretary Theresa May said. "Despicable acts like this will not go unpunished."
A witness, who identified himself only as James told LBC's 97.3 radio station that he saw two men standing by the victim, who was on the ground in the Woolwich neighborhood.
The Islamist appeared to want to be filmed, with one of the attackers going over to a bus and asking people to take photos of him, CNN and ITN reported. The suspects rushed at the arriving officers before being shot, James told the radio station.
Police responded to the assault soon after it was reported at 2:20 GMT in the afternoon.
Prime Minister David Cameron was in France at the time at the time of the incident but headed back home promptly, expressing outrage, and calling it an act of terror.
