The victims of two Islamist terror attacks on British soil have been remembered on Saturday, May 22nd.
On this day in 2013, Islamist terrorists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale mowed down Fusilier Lee Rigby, a machine gunner and army drummer, as the 26-year-old walked to his barracks in Woolwich, London.
Adebolajo and Adebowale then got out of their car and murdered Rigby in an attempt to behead him on the street.
A tweet from the Lee Rigby Foundation, a charity set up to provide bereavement support for military families, on Saturday read: “Today is a day we all dread as a family.
“Exactly 8 years since Lee was murdered. The more time passes, the more we miss him because it’s been so long since we last heard his laughter, saw his smiling face or felt his arms wrapped around us.”
The charity also remembered the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, which occurred on the same day four years later.
“We would also like to send our heartfelt sympathy to everyone who lost loved ones at the Manchester Arena. Its [sic] a day none of us want to remember but our thoughts are with you all. Here’s to Lee and all the victims of this terrible anniversary. May they all Rest In Peace,” they said.
On the night of May 22nd, 2017, the son of Libyan refugees Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb in the foyer of the Manchester Arena as the audience — comprised mostly of young women, girls, and families — exited the venue at the end of a concert by Ariana Grande.
The attack killed 22 victims as well as the 22-year-old Islamist. Six children were counted amongst the victims, with the youngest, Saffie-Rose Roussos, being just eight years old.
A service is being held at Manchester Cathedral, from where the church bells will toll at 10:31 pm, marking the moment of the terror attack.
Last year, Salman Abedi’s brother was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in prison for his part in the mass murder. There is an ongoing public enquiry being held into the attack.
The names of the victims were as follows: Saffie-Rose Roussos (8), Nell Jones (14), Sorrell Leckowski (14), Eilidh MacLeod (14), Megan Hurley (15), Olivia Campbell-Hardy (15), Chloe Rutherford (17), Liam Curry (19), Georgina Callander (18), Courtney Boyle (19), John Atkinson (28), Martyn Hett (29), Philip Tron (32), Kelly Brewster (32), Angelika Klis (39), Marcin Klis (42), Elaine McIver (43), Alison Howe (45), Lisa Lees (43), Michelle Kiss (45), Wendy Fawell (50), and Jane Tweddle (51).
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