In what British officials are determining to be an act of terror, two suspected terrorists beheaded a soldier in Woolwich, London Thursday afternoon. Video shows the suspects, who were identified as black males, shouting “Allahu Akbar” — the Arabic phrase for “God is Great” — as they continuously hack at the victim’s lifeless body with machetes.
“They were hacking at this poor guy, literally,” a witness identified as James told a reporter. “They were hacking at him, chopping him, cutting him. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there.”
The video that was taken shows one of the machete-wielding and bloodied suspects commenting on the scene.
“I apologise that women had to witness that, but in our lands our women have to see the same thing,” the terrorist says in an accent mixed between British and a different, immigrant country. “You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”
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The two men were later shot by police who arrived on the scene. The two men are being treated for their injuries.
Officials are still investigating the incident, but many are speculating that it is an Islamic terrorist attack.
“All the signs indicated this is a terrorist attack,” Patrick Mercer, a Conservative MP and former Army colonel, told BBC News. “If that is the case it’s a very carefully thought-through thing. It’s obviously carefully planned.”
“Of course we need to be careful about similar attacks happening in the future.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is on his way back from France after a speaking engagement with President Francois Hollande, was quick to respond to the attack.
“Police are urgently seeking the full facts about this case but there are strong indications it is a terrorist incident,” Cameron said.