London attack: police make two further arrests after Woolwich killing - live updates

The Mirror has obtained dramatic footage showing one of the suspects running towards a police car, before being shot by officers.

Former Det Ch Ins Peter Kirkham told the Mirror: "The female officer only has her Taser out and must have been terrified. They had no option but to open fire to stop them."

Anjem Choudry, the former leader of banned Islamic group al-Muhijaroun, has appeared on BBC Newsnight where he refused to say that he abhorred the attack in Woolwich. He said:

He [Michael Adebolajo] was someone who came to our demonstrations, he attended some of the lectures. I think the last time I saw him was about two or three years ago.

...What he said explains what he did. When I saw what took place I was shocked.

One man killed in the street does not equate to the hundreds and thousands and millions, in fact, who have been slaughtered by the British and Americans in their foreign policy. If we're going to start abhorring, where's the condemnation for the British foreign policy?

I believe that that action, for me, would not be allowed. But I do believe there's a difference of opinion.

General Sir David Richards, chief of defence Staff has told Newsnight:

We're absolutely determined not to be intimidated into not doing the right thing, whether it's here in this country or in Afghanistan, or wherever we seek to serve the nation. It hasn't affected us in a direct sense.

The shadow secretary of state for justice, Sadiq Khan, said:

Of course we should try to prevent as many [attacks] as we can, and our security services prevent many, many attacks. But some will get through, I'm afraid.

The reality is there are some people who have been radicalised either by individuals, but also by the internet. And it's very difficult to curb the messages that come across the internet. It's very difficult to stop someone reading a piece of literature.

Is it right to describe the attack in Woolwich as 'terrorism'? Glenn Greenwald discusses the term here.

The BBC's Nick Robinson says there is relief at No 10 that community tensions have not been worse.

The first emotion there was here was relief: a little relief that community tensions we were hearing about did not turn into something worse. Relief - although no one will say this for certain yet, because they don't want to make any assumptions - that it appears we are talking about suspects who were not under orders from elsewhere, who were not part of an organised group.

Two men have been charged over separate attacks at mosques.

Kent police said they had charged Andrew John Grindlay, 45, from Rochester, with religiously aggravated criminal damage and burglary. And Essex police have arrested Geoffrey Ryan, 43, on suspicion of attempted arson after he reportedly walked into a mosque with a knife in Braintree, Essex.

Kent police said:

Kent Police has an increased amount of officers around the county following the incident in Woolwich on Wednesday, May 22 , which the Metropolitan Police are investigating. Officers in the county are taking a zero tolerance approach to any incidents of this nature. Kent Police has not received any intelligence to suggest any direct threat to anyone living in the county, but additional resources will continue to patrol to provide a presence in potentially vulnerable communities."

Lincolnshire police has warned people on social media sites over comments which could incite racial hatred. It said:

We would urge people to consider the very real impact of their online comments in relation to this matter.

We have received a number of reports from local members of the public about tweets (on Twitter) and Facebook comments that could potentially incite racial hatred and violence.

These are currently being investigated. If such communications are reported to us and they do breach the law, those messages may be monitored; captured and robust police action will be considered.

Here's our profile of Lee Rigby, an ordinary soldier who died in extraordinary circumstances.

Anjem Choudry, the former leader of banned Islamic group al-Muhijaroun, has refused to condemn yesterday's attack, describing one of the suspects as a "very nice man". He told the Telegraph:

I believe he's a family man. He's a very calm and non-violent man. Even from the clip yesterday you could see he was concerned and apologising to any women and children who were there.

I think people are very quick to jump on the bandwagon of condemnation, but we don't see condemnation of, for example, what the British troops are doing in Muslim countries

Police are investigating the source of the suspect's extremism, Vikram Dodd reports.

The radicalisation can, in part, be tracked to al-Muhijaroun, an extremist group which is now banned in the UK. Its former UK head, Omar Bakri Mohammad, tells the Guardian that he had known Michael Adebolajo.

Lee Rigby's family have issued the following tribute:

Lee was lovely. He would do anything for anybody, he always looked after his sisters and always protected them. He took a 'big brother' role with everyone.

All he wanted to do from when he was a little boy, was be in the Army. He wanted to live life and enjoy himself. His family meant everything to him. He was a loving son, husband, father, brother, and uncle, and a friend to many.

We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time.

Today, six homes were being searched as part of the police investigation into the attack: three in south London, one in east London, one in north London and one in Lincolnshire.

Writing about responses to the attack in Woolwich, Simon Jenkins says that mass hysteria aids terrorists.

There is little a modern government can do to stem the initial publicity that terrorism craves. But it has considerable control over the subsequent response. When the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, pleaded for calm and for London to continue as normal, he was spitting into a hurricane. Terror could not have begged for more sensational attention than was granted it by Britain's political community and media.

Meanwhile, Andrew Brown writes that British media could learn from the coverage of the riots in Sweden. 

The Swedish newspapers, in their conspiracy of ignorance, are acting with a moral purpose. They want to make their country a slightly better place. Our own papers clearly can't behave that way. But as readers and viewers we can exercise our own self-discipline and refuse to wallow in the gore. When the thing comes up on screen again, just switch it off.

Rev Guy Jamieson, who conducted Drummer Rigby's marriage ceremony in 2007, has said it was a "privilege and responsibility to look after their wedding day". He told the BBC:

Lee struck me as someone who was both quiet but also with a slightly wry sense of humour. He was somebody who was very easy and good company to have. He had also taken his preparations for the wedding very seriously. He knew about the risks of being married as a member of the military and that sometime fairly soon he'd have to spend some part of the early years of his married life being sent overseas to an area of military conflict.

Attacks on Muslims spike after the murder in Woolwich yesterday. Fiyaz Mughal, from Faith Matters, said:

What we are seeing is concerted action from individuals across the country. We are really concerned. When you see a wider picture of resentment and retribution, this is telling us it's an increasing problem. Something is moving in a very disturbing direction.

Read the full story here.

The charity Help For Heroes has offered its thanks for the "extraordinary demonstration of support" after being swamped with donations today.

In a statement on its website, the Army charity said:

Help for Heroes was appalled to hear of the brutal murder of a serving soldier in Woolwich. We are desperately saddened to hear of this sickening attack and offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, colleagues and family.
Thousands of people have visited our website wishing to donate or to buy H4H T-Shirts in an extraordinary demonstration of support and defiance of terrorism.

The family of Drummer Lee Rigby have paid tribute to "a loving son, husband, father, brother and uncle." They said: "He always wanted to be in the Army, live life and enjoy himself."

Meanwhile, Luke Harding reports on the reaction of Woolwich residents, some of whom have blamed politicians for not doing enough to tackle terrorism. One said:

I think not enough has been done to get into these radical groups. This is a failure. Politicians have taken their eye off the terrorism issue.

An army cadet instructor has talked to our colleague Ben Quinn about security concerns for cadets.

Some fanatic won't be able to distinguish between a kid and an adult. Now it's 60 kids that I have to look out for rather than myself.

Nick Hopkins has written about the questions Scotland Yard and MI5 will be asking themselves. He writes:

Nobody in Whitehall would be drawn on the specifics, but the conclusions drawn by specialists who have to make excruciating decisions in this field, having weighed up all this material, is that the men did not warrant moving up the worry list; they did not pose an imminent threat to national security.

Read the full article here.

Boris Johnson has said that he has "absolutely no doubt" that Londoners can go about their business as normal. In an interview with the BBC, he also paid tribute to Lee Rigby.

The thoughts of people around this country will be deep and heartfelt sympathy for the family of Drummer Lee Rigby - a man who served his country, who seems to have been immensely popular with his fellow soldiers. And the heart bleeds for his relatives tonight. All I can say, from everything I've seen, that his killers will be brought to justice.

There will always be people in situations like this who try to use it for their own political ends - to try to divide London. And the message I'm overwhelmingly getting from community groups, from people I've met in Woolwich, from around the place, is that they do not accept this agenda. London is united in its response to terror. They were expected, by the terrorists, to be terrified. They aren't terrified.

My message to Londoners and everyone who visits our city is, of course we've seen a shocking event, but I've absolutely no doubt you can go about your business in the normal way and enjoy our city.

It's pretty clear that there will be serious questions to be asked about Islamic extremism. In that context, I think it is very very important that we don't blame the religion of Islam, and we don't blame British foreign policy or the actions of British troops abroad, such as Drummer Lee Riby, who are risking their lives for the sake of freedom. The cause of the madness was only, and exclusively, in the minds of those killers.

It is absolutely vitally important, if we are to succeed, that we make a sharp distinction between that and the religion of Islam, which is a religion of peace.

Whatever these people hoped to achieve, they've not changed London. They've not changed our attitude towards policing. They won't change the unity of this city.

BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani has tweeted this image, reportedly of Michael Adebolajo, from footage which the BBC will be broadcasting later.

Scotland Yard has released the following statement:

Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command have made two further arrests today, Thursday 23 May, as part of their investigation into the murder of a soldier in Woolwich yesterday.

A 29-year-old man [C] was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder under PACE.

A 29-year-old woman [D] was arrested at residential address in south London on suspicion of conspiracy to murder under PACE. They both remain in custody at a south London police station.

A 22-year-old man [A] and a 28-year-old man [B] shot by police at the scene have been arrested on suspicion of murder under PACE. They remain in separate London hospitals and are both in a stable condition. Their injuries are not life threatening.

Search warrants have been executed under PACE at six residential addresses; three in south London, one in east London, one in north London and one in Lincoln. The searches are ongoing.

This is a large, complex and fast-moving investigation which continues to develop.

Many lines of inquiry are being followed by detectives and the investigation is progressing well.

Officers have been gathering information from witnesses, social media and a painstaking trawl of CCTV footage in the area is taking place.

Forensic experts and specialist search officers have been carrying out a detailed examination of the scene in Woolwich. A number of items have been recovered from the scene.

We are still appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident in Woolwich to contact police via the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321.

We urge anyone who filmed or took photos as events unfolded in John Wilson Street to send them to police via woolwich@metincident.co.uk - please include your name and contact details, which will be treated in strictest confidence. Anyone who may have such material is asked not to delete it after sending it in.

A post-mortem examination is being carried out this afternoon.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said it is not pursuing any criminal or misconduct offences over the police officers who used their weapons at the scene of the attack in Woolwich yesterday.

Two officers fired guns and one used a Taser, the IPCC said, after investigators viewed CCTV footage.

IPCC commissioner Derrick Campbell said:

Our investigation is as a result of the tragic events yesterday and I would like to express my sincere sympathies to the family of Lee Rigby at this terrible time.

We have viewed CCTV footage of the police shooting. At this stage we are not pursuing any criminal or misconduct offences.

Officers have provided initial statements and we will be obtaining additional accounts.

The IPCC is independently verifying information regarding the circumstances of this incident and we can promise the Woolwich community, and wider public, that our investigation will be thorough.

Emotional tributes to Lee Rigby have been posted on several Facebook pages. Here's a few of them:

i am a mother with 2 sons one still serving and one who was also in lee's regt...i cannot put into words the sorrow and heart break i feel for the ones that loved and knew you

Very brave young Man who served his country to keep us all safe. R.I.P

As a ex-service man myself - my thoughts go out to the young soldier and his family. RIP You will not be forgotten

im so shocked something like this has happened..one of our heros taken to soon,in a terrible shocking way..love and thoughts to all your loved ones xxx

at 2 pm on sunday myself and other boltonians will be laying flowers at bolton cenotaph ,victoria square bolton. we are doing this to show our respect to fuslilier lee rigby who was viciously cut down on a british street ,we are not edl ,bnp or any other group,we are just boltonians gutted by whats happened in woolwich

Prosecutors are providing advice to police investigating the Woolwich attack. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said:

As is standard practice, we have provided some initial investigative advice to the police. We will continue to do so as required.

Here is another picture of Drummer Lee Rigby.

Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, said he was “shocked and saddened” by Rigby’s death.

This was a senseless murder of a soldier who served the army faithfully in a variety of roles, including operational tours in Afghanistan. Our thoughts today are with his family and loved ones who are trying to come to terms with this terrible loss.

I think it reminds us how vulnerable we all are but it also reminds us by the response of the public that we are not going to be cowed by this kind of terrorist action.

The Ministry of Defence has just put out this statement:

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must announce that the soldier killed in yesterday's incident in Woolwich, South East London, is believed to be Drummer Lee Rigby, of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (attached to the Regimental Recruiting Team in London). The soldier's details are being released at this stage pending formal identification from the Metropolitan Police Service. 

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 (also known as "Second Fusiliers" or "2 RRF"). 

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 2 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."

He was 25 and had a son, Jack, aged two.

The victim was Drummer Lee Rigby of 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Nick Clegg has hit back against the idea that the Woolwich attack means the communications data bill needs to be put back on the table. The DPM's spokesman said there was no suggestion that wide-ranging powers to monitor online activity could have helped prevent the murder of the soldier in south-east London yesterday.

Clegg's spokesman said:

We are all hugely thankful for the exceptional work the police and the security services do to keep us all and our country safe. Until people know more about this horrific attack, we should be careful of leaping to conclusions.

Both the prime minister and deputy prime minister have cautioned against knee-jerk responses.

There is currently no suggestion that the proposals in the draft communications data bill would have had any relevance to yesterday's sickening events. 

There are already substantial powers in place to track the communications of criminals and terrorists.

As stated in the Queen's speech, the government will continue to work to address some of the challenges posed by new technology.

Alfie Swain, a would-be soldier, told BBC News he had met the victim, who still has not been named. He said:

I can't explain it, how much it hurts. It's just disappointing. I'd met him in and out of the army base itself. Hearing that he's gone is just destroying. He was a nice man. He was caring, loving. To hear that he's gone is just disappointing.

I'm just terribly, terribly upset. I just want to burst into tears right now.

My colleague Ben Quinn has just filed from Saxilby, Lincolnshire, the previous home of the Adebolajo family. Neighbours in the quiet village, where police swooped on a property today, spoke of their shock as ripples from the incident ended up at their doorstep.

At least two people living just around the corner from the house in a modern residential development outside the village of Saxilby told of how yesterday's incident had hit home even harder as a result of family and personal connections to the armed forces.

"We have to look after about kids that turn up in uniform about twice a week in Lincoln," said Tom Broad, a cadet instructor. "You just don't know, do you? Some fanatic won't be able to distinguish between a kid and an adult. Now it's 60 kids that I have to look out for rather than myself.

"There are a lot of people around here [with connections to the military. Obviously Lincolnshire is the hub of the air force. So there are a lot of RAF personnel around."

The family of the alleged attacker, Michael Adebolajo, moved into the property around 2004. Neighbours said that it was a rented property which had been vacant for some time before then and the family had moved out recently. There was little evidence that the family had mixed with others on the estate, which neighbours described as pleasant but a place where people keep to themselves, although one teenager said that he had been to school with Adebolajo's sister.

"She was just an ordinary young girl. They came up from London and then they just went back again," he said. A local report said that Adebolajo's younger brothers and sister attended Lincoln Christ’s Hospital school in Lincoln.

Today, police were only allowing residents of the cul de sac - part of a 10-year-old development - to enter, as camera crews and journalists descended on the village.

Another resident of the estate, Kirk Conroy, said that the name of the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich had immediately brought back personal memories when he saw the news coverage of the killing of a soldier from the base.

"My dad was based at Woolwich so when I so the name it meant something straight away," said Kirk Conroy. "He wouldn't have had to contend with anything like this though. We lived through the Troubles. We lived in Germanh for five years. My dad was not allowed to wear uniforms and looking not conspicuous. We were stationed in Germany where it was a different kind of threat. It was more focused. You were not allowed to wear uniforms outside of barracks because you could be under threat."

This map shows the locations of Eastney Street and Thames Street in Greenwich, where two properties are currently being searched by police, and John Wilson Street in Woolwich, where the incident took place yesterday.

Emma Graham-Harrison has more comment from Kabul:

Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Malikzada, an MP from central Ghor province, only heard about the attack when contacted by the Guardian. He said: “The killing of an unarmed soldier in his own country is not a good deed; I want to condemn that. I don't know who he is, or if he is connected to the Taliban and al-Qaida, but what he did will make the Taliban and al-Qaida happy.”

Ahmadshah Behzad, an MP from western Herat province, said: "This Muslim did a violent act that I would like to condemn. He committed an act of terrorism. There are a lot of extremists around the world who are always trying to do violence against people of all religions.

"It is not allowed in Islam to take revenge on someone unconnected to you, and it was not his business to kill this soldier. It will increase violence against the world against Muslims, and it gives a very dark view of Islam around the world."

Haji Ahmad Farid, a mullah and former MP from the violent eastern Kapisa province, is an outspoken critic of the foreign presence in Afghanistan. He said: “There is no doubt that the war in Afghanistan is waged by the British and Americans, and every day around the world especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, Americans and other foreigners keep killing innocent Muslims. I think this guy, maybe one of his family or close relatives was killed by foreign troops and he is trying to avenge that, which is his right.

"No one discusses the death of Muslims at the hands of non-Muslims, but everyone talks about the death of non-Muslims at the hand of Muslims and calls it terrorism ... When they kill, Muslims should also kill them."

The Sun has another video (warning: graphic footage) of the suspects shortly after the murder.

The start of the video is filmed from a bus. Three women seem to be protecting the victim’s body while the suspect identified as Michael Adebolajo stands nearby, seeming agitated. “He’s dead,” says one of the bus passengers.

The suspect then addresses the camera; the clip is longer than others I have seen.

The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers, and this British soldier is one, and it’s an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. By Allah, we swear by the Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. So what if we want to live by the sharia in Muslim lands. Why does that mean you must follow us and chase us and call us extremists and kill us? Rather, you are extreme.

You are the ones. When you talk of bombs, do you think it hits one person? Or rather your bomb wipes out a whole family. This is the reality. By Allah, if I saw your mother today with a buggy, I would help her up the stairs. This is my nature. But we are forced by … many many [sections] throughout the Koran that we must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

I apologise that women had to see this today but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your governments. They don't care about you. Do you think David Cameron is gonna get caught in the street when we start busting our guns? Do you think the politicians are gonna die? No, it's gonna be the average guy – like you, and your children. So get rid of them. Tell them to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace. Leave our lands and you will live in peace. That’s all I have to say. Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you. Salaam alaikum.

Matthew Taylor is now at Macey House, Thames Street, Greenwich, where a flat was raided last night by 20 officers. Police are still there. Officers would not comment on the operation, but neighbours were convinced it was connected to the Woolwich investigation.

In Nigeria, Monica Mark has been investigating links between the suspects and Nigeria, and has spoken to a senior security source who said the country would cooperate with the British government. 

The security source in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, said:

We know they're [both] of Nigerian descent, but they were not raised here. We are expecting more details to come from our counterparts in the UK in the next few hours. If [the UK] deem it necessary, they will make a formal request for our assistance in investigations and we will cooperate with them. 

Monica adds:

In 2009, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, dubbed the "pants bomber," tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airline by detonating explosives packed in his underpants. The son of a well-known multi-millionaire banker, he became radicalised after attending al-Qaida training camps in Yemen.

Havering Sixth Form College has confirmed in a brief statement that Michael Adebolajo attended the college. 

Principal Paul Wakeling said:

A student of the name Michael Adebolajo studied at Havering Sixth Form College from 2001 to 2003. He studied an A Level programme. There is no more information on file.

Shiv Malik has been speaking to Louise, 26, from Romford, who said that she knew Michael Adebolajo and his brother from Marshalls Park school.

She said that Michael went by the nickname "Naan" and was two years older than her.

She described him as clever, tall for his age, and “such a nice person; everyone got along with him...Everyone knew him. He was funny, hilarious. He was a down to earth, nice guy, there was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing you would have thought obviously this would have happened."

She said that Adebolajo's mother was strict and a regular churchgoer who dressed in traditional west African clothes most Sundays. “They were strong on their beliefs," said Louise.

She said that as he headed into his final years at Marshalls Park school and then nearby Havering sixth form, Adebolajo became involved with a criminal Nigerian gang from outside the school:

As he got older he started mixing with other people from outside. We used to go around the house and there used to be 20 black guys and they would walk around the streets ... They were stealing people's phones and that and they had knives.

She said that Adebolajo himself would carry a knife around, not just for protection but as part of his criminal activities. However, she didn't know if he had ever been arrested.

She said that once he started to carry a knife around his parents decided to get the boys out of Romford:

His mum and dad clocked on to that and they moved him away. No one has spoke to them since they moved because his mum wanted to get them away from everyone.

The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, has been speaking on LBC 97.3 radio, he said:

I suspect many people this morning are feeling … shaken by this. It is so grotesque what we witnessed.

The deputy prime minister said last night the Ministry of Defence had taken the "perfectly reasonable decision" to advise troops in London against wearing uniform outside of bases. He added:

Quite rightly, this morning, after further consideration it was decided that that was not in keeping with everybody else, that we wanted to see our servicemen and servicewomen out and about in the normal way.

Matthew Taylor has called in again from Greenwich with some more information about the police raid there early this morning.

He said two women, said by neighbours to be sisters, were taken out of the flat in handcuffs this morning, along with a teenage boy, a toddler and a baby. All were taken away by the police.

There were around a dozen police at the scene, some wearing balaclavas.

He called on all British Muslims to "reach out to fellow Britons and testify the true reality of our faith".

He said there was no justification whatsoever for the actions of the two suspects. 

He called it a "truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly" and said his thoughts were with the victim and his family. 

He said:

We understand the victim is a serving member of the Armed Forces. Muslims have long served in this country's Armed Forces, proudly and with honour. 

This attack on a member of the Armed Forces is dishonourable, and no cause justifies this murder. 

The group called for vigilance and solidarity between "all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim", and for police to "calm tensions". 

He added that he had been "heartened" by messages of understanding and reconciliation by faith leaders and the prime minister. 

The Muslim Council of Britain are holding a press conference. 

Farooq Murad, the MCB's secretary general, said he wanted to express his "outrage and horror" at what took place. 

The culprits had "insulted Allah and dishonoured our faith" he said.

He added: "It has no basis in Islam and we condemn it unreservedly."

Our colleague Vikram Dodd has written about the increased security in the capital following the killing of a soldier in Woolwich on Wednesday. 

The Met said it had deployed an extra 1,200 officers to the streets of London. AC Mark Rowley said: "We will provide increased visibilty and engagement." He said extra patrols were being deployed to mosques and religious sites, as well at transport hubs. Police have a tool called community tension indicators which they are monitoring across the capital. They are also monitoring social media, Rowley said, for signs of people trying to exploit the attack to ferment trouble. Asked about groups such as the EDL, who on Wednesday evening tried to exploit the tragedy, Rowley said: "Anybody seeing this as an opportunity to protest, cause mischief or create tension is unhelpful and unwelcome, and we'd rather it did not happen.

Crime correspondent Sandra Laville writes that the men suspected of being involved in Wednesday's terrorist attack:

Both men have featured in counter terrorist investigations over the last eight years, the Guardian understands. But it is understood that while they were known to the police and security services they were considered peripheral figures among the many extremists whose activities cross the radar of investigators. Adebolajo was frequently seen in Woolwich handing out extremist literature in the High Street.

Respect MP George Galloway has given an interview to the International Business Times, in which he predicts that attacks like yesterday's "will happen again, because we are at war with Muslims all over the world. It will happen again as long as we are, as a country, involved in spreading murder and mayhem across the Muslim world."

He added:

The true disaster of 7/7, as yesterday, is that the crimes of guilty people are paid for by innocent people. Like on 7/7 the people getting people killed and maimed are not the people spreading murder and mayhem. That's why it's a crime to do what was done yesterday.

Galloway said the murder was an "indefensible crime", and called the English Defence League "a tiny rump of football hooligans, peddling a fascist ideology and declining fast. The British people are too sensible to follow these moral dwarves."

Sandra Laville, Peter Walker and Vikram Dodd report on what we know so far about Michael Adebolajo, one of the suspects in the Woolwich attack.

There has been steady police activity around the sealed-off flat in Harold Wood, near Romford, where Michael Adebolajo's sister, Blessing, lives, reports Jason Parkinson.

Vans arrived and departed, with equipment being transferred and carried in before officers in forensic suits entered the property.

Police first went to the small 1940s block, where Blessing Adebolajo lives on the top storey of three, last night. They have blocked access to the front door leading to the six flats on her side of the building, and covered some windows with bin bags to prevent people looking in. It is understood Blessing Adebolajo left the flat earlier.

I’ve just been speaking to my colleague Matthew Taylor, who is in Greenwich at Aylmer House, Eastney Street, where police raided a property early this morning.

According to neighbours police arrived just before 6 o’clock this morning, and depending on who you speak to took either two or three women and a teenage boy away. They were quite heavily armed and out in force this morning, the police.

The police are still here. The flat has been searched. The neighbours I’ve spoken to are not sure exactly who it was who lived there; there were people coming and going, they said.

The police have confirmed that it is connected to the terrible events in Woolwich yesterday, but more than that at this stage we don’t know … [We don’t know] exactly how this flat is connected to [the murder].

Neighbours said “they kept themselves to themselves” and “seemed to be a perfectly reasonable family”. Two women and a teenage boy lived there, they said.

David Cameron's calm rejection on the steps of Downing Street of any "knee-jerk responses" was a welcome riposte to the security hawks who have already taken to the airways to demand a battery of new counter-terror measures, writes Alan Travis.

Here is Ingrid Loyau-Kennett talking about her confrontation with alleged Woolwich attacker.

I have just been speaking to Nancy Scott, who lives in a housing estate in Greenwich. She said that last night Macey House, on Thames Street, was raided by 20 police officers. Police officers, including a forensics crew, are continuing to search the property today, she said.

The Guardian cannot confirm that this operation is linked to the Woolwich murder.

The Metropolitan police said they were not confirming that any addresses are being searched at this time.

Peter Walker, our reporter in Romford where Michael Adebolajo went to school and grew up, has been talking to another former neighbour of the Adebolajo family. 

Peter writes: 

A former neighbour of the Adebolajo family at the home they lived in until around 2004, along the main A12 road in Romford, Essex, said he did not have fond memories of them.

Graham Silverton, 63, who has lived in the street for 25 years and lived two doors down from the family, said he found Michael Adebolajo's father aggressive and short tempered. He recalled the father haranguing him loudly after Silverton partially blocked the Adebolajo family driveway very briefly with his van to dash into his own house.

Silverton said the neighbours living between him and the Adebolajos had a particularly bad experience with Michael when he was a teenager. He said one of the neighbours' children, a teenage girl, had gone to the Adebolajos door to retrieve a ball kicked into their garden and was insulted and punched by Michael. The incident was not reported to police, he recalled. 

The Adebolajo family lived at the address for about four years, Silverton said: "I tried to have nothing to do with them. Let's just say I was pleased when they moved out."

My colleague Vikram Dodd has noted the following:

Woolwich suspect Michael Adebolajo had a Muslim name, Mujaahid, which means one who engages in Jihad.

The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, has said he fully support the actions taken by Cameron following Wednesday's attack.

He urged Britons to stand together in condemnation of the attack, but also condemned the EDL action. His full statement is below:

This was an appalling and horrific murder and all of my condolences are with the families and friends of the victim, and indeed with our troops because they serve incredibly bravely all around the world and they've seen one of their own murdered in an act of complete cowardice. 

There are people who try to divide us with acts like this. They've tried it before in London and they've failed and they will always fail. 

There will be people who try to use events like this to divide us and they will fail too. 

They will fail because the British people are united across different faiths, different religions, different backgrounds, in their abhorrence of this and in values of decency and tolerance. That is the true character of the British people and that's why this terror will lose and will fail. 

We are a united country, not a divided country and anyone who tries to divide us will not succeed.

Asked if David Cameron was right to tell soldiers they can continue to wear their uniforms in public, Mr Miliband said:

The Government has our full support in the actions they are taking. We stand united as an opposition with the Government in the measures they are taking in response to this crisis. That's what I said to David Cameron when I spoke to him earlier on today. 

"I think it is right that troops continue to wear their uniform. One of the ways we must ensure that terror doesn't win is by us going about our normal business.

The attack has had little impact in Afghanistan, reports Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul, barely showing up in news bulletins or on social media.

Interviews with a handful of people in Helmand and Kabul - most of whom had to be told about the stabbing - showed mixed reactions, including sympathy with the attackers' reported motivation but disgust at the killing. Note that these are just a few views, by no means a representative sample.

"The holy Qur'an says revenge is not a good thing ... This politics of war, that is not going to be solved by revenge or killing innocent people in their own country," said 57-year-old Raimullah Khan, from Nawa district in Helmand. "It is meaningless to say: 'I killed a foreigner because his government is sending troops to Afghanistan'."

“This guy didn't belong to any group, it was just his private views," said Waheed Ahmadi, a lecturer at Kabul's private Kardan University. "This kind of thing could increase in future if foreign troops don't get out of Muslim countries ... people showing their personal feelings about the killing of their brother Muslims. I am sure this incident will have an impact on UK government officials, it will make them think about their help for the Americans. Every day around the Muslim countries they [US and UK troops] are killing innocent Muslims.

“The man who killed a lot of children in their school in the US, no one called him a terrorist, but this man who just showed his feelings – people called him a terrorist.”

Mohammad Omar Farooq, a 53-year-old car parts salesman in Kabul, said: “This was the Islamic duty of a Muslim. I respect what he did because it was his Islamic duty. He had no connection with any groups; he was independent.

“Foreigners in Iraq and Afghanistan oppress the people, kill innocent people a lot of times, like in Panjwai (in southern Kandahar province, where a US soldier massacred 16 civilians). These foreigners killed a lot of innocents, and there will be more of these attacks if they don't get out.”

The BBC political editor, Nick Robinson, has apologised for using the phrase "of Muslim appearance" when discussing the attackers on the 6pm news yesterday.

Patrick Wintour explains the growing controversy about the shelved communications data bill:

Currently, police can identify who has made a telephone call or sent an SMS text message, and when and where. However, they cannot do the same for email, internet telephony, instant messaging or other internet-based services as communications service providers don't retain all of the relevant data.

The Press Association have reported on the growing number of tributes to the soldier who was killed in Wednesday's attack:

Mourners have paid tribute to a "hero soldier" in floral tributes at Woolwich barracks.

A growing pile of flowers and cards have been left outside Woolwich army barracks, just yards from where the soldier was decapitated.

Fellow soldiers and military wives have left floral tributes to the fallen serviceman and told of their shock at his "savage" death.

One military family wrote: "To a hero taken from us too soon, may you rest in peace. Always in our hearts, Martin, Faye and Hope, fellow soldier family."

Another wrote: "Much love and respect to a true hero so savagely taken from us. RIP Dan, Kellie, JJ and Clark, a fellow soldier."

One note attached to a bunch of flowers read 'RIP unnamed soldier, you are at peace now. This shouldn't have happened' and is signed by Sarah, Emily and Jennie.

In a note attached to a bunch of orange and white flowers one mourner wrote: "RIP unnamed soldier, we never knew you but fly high with the angels."

Among the growing pile of floral tributes are two small wooden Remembrance Day wooden crosses with a single red poppy attached.

One read: "In remembrance of the soldier killed in Woolwich, God Bless."

Our colleague Vikram Dodd has sent us this timeline on police reaction to Wednesday's terrorist attack. 

14.20 "We first received a 999 call from the public at 14:20hrs stating a man was being attacked". Then "further 999 calls stated that the attackers were in possession of a gun"

14.24 Armed officers ordered to scene14.29 First unarmed officers arrive: "We had officers at the scene within 9 minutes of receiving that first 999 call."

14.34 "Firearms officers were there and dealing with the incident 10 minutes after they were assigned, 14 minutes after the first call to the Met."

Here is the full statement from Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne: 

Today our shock at what happened on the streets of our city remains.

The investigation into the shocking murder of a serving soldier yesterday is ongoing, and is of course a major investigation for us.

It is only right that the ongoing investigations are allowed to take place, and they must take as long as is needed without anyone pre-empting what they may conclude. I would ask for Londoners help and support for us to continue. Please remain calm. London is at its best when we all come together and now is the time to do that.

One point I would like to address is around some of the speculation as to how long it took the Met to respond yesterday as this incident started to unfold. We first received a 999 call from the public at 14:20hrs stating a man was being attacked, further 999 calls stated that the attackers were in possession of a gun. We had officers at the scene within 9 minutes of receiving that first 999 call.

Once that information about a gun or guns being present was known firearms officers were assigned at 14:24hrs. Firearms officers were there and dealing with the incident 10 minutes after they were assigned, 14 minutes after the first call to the Met.

What is even more important today is that we continue to work together, and we are working with our communities. We are here to listen and understand the concerns that this brutal attack will have raised.

The Borough Commander in Greenwich held a meeting with community leaders last night and we are grateful for the support from the public.

There has been an increased police presence in Woolwich and the surrounding areas overnight and this will continue for as long as it is needed. We will continue to monitor the situation throughout.

There were small incidents of minor disorder in Woolwich last night, but these were closely monitored and dealt with, where appropriate, by officers in the area. There were no arrests or reports of any injuries or damage and there have been no further incidents reported.

We urge anyone who filmed or took photos as events unfolded in John Wilson Street to send them to police via woolwich@metincident.co.uk - please include your name and contact details, which will be treated in strictest confidence. Alternatively contact the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321.

Peter Walker, who is in Romford, has been speaking to neighbours who knew the Adebolajo family:

A former neighbour of the family at an address in Romford, Essex, where they lived until about 2004 remembers them as friendly and welcoming church-goers.

The man, who asked not to be named, said his wife gave Adebolajo's mother, who he remembered as working for social services, a lift to church. The family left after an apparent divorce which saw the father move to north London, he added.

"They were very pleasant, a very ordinary, normal family," the man said.

The Guardian's crime correspondent Sandra Laville has some more details about one of the suspects in the Woolwich attack.

Michael Olumide Adebolajo, was born in Lambeth on December 10th 1984 and is of Nigerian descent. He grew up in Romford and went to Marshalls Park School. He was later a student at Greenwich university and lived in that area in 2004 and 2005 in student accommodation. His family moved to Lincoln around 2004 - where Lincolnshire police said today they were searching a house on behalf of the Metropolitan police. Adeblolajo has a brother, Jeremiah and a sister, Blessing. Her home in Romford was sealed off by police officers this morning.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has just given a short statement from Woolwich with Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrn, thanking the emergency services after Wednesday's terrorist attack. 

He said:

Plainly it was a horrific incident ...[everything] I have seen and heard this morning leads me to conclude two things, one that those guilty will be brought speedily to justice and secondly that Londoners can get on with their normal lives today. 

The mayor said he would not be commenting further on the ongoing police investigation. 

Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrn said the police had reacted rapidly to a 999 call shortly after the attack, adding that within five minutes of the call being made police were en route the scene and had dealt with the entire incident within 15 minutes. 

He said:

I would like to address some of the speculation as to how long it took the Met to respond yesterday as this incident started to unfold. 

"We first received a 999 call from the public at 2.20pm stating a man was being attacked, further 999 calls stated that the attackers were in possession of a gun. We had officers at the scene within nine minutes of receiving that first 999 call. 

"Once that information about a gun or guns being present was known firearms officers were assigned at 2.24pm. Firearms officers were there and dealing with the incident 10 minutes after they were assigned, 14 minutes after the first call to the Met.

Johnson praised police efforts. He added:

This is not a question now of blaming Islam or blaming any aspect of British foreign policy [...] everybody can see that the fault for this [attack] lies exclusively, utterly and entirely in the minds of those who were responsible for this crime.

One of the suspects in the Woolwich attack is Michael Olumide Adebolajo, according to Guardian sources.

Here is David Cameron’s statement in full:

What happened yesterday in Woolwich has sickened us all.

On our televisions last night and in our newspapers this morning we have all seen images that are deeply shocking.

The people who did this are trying to divide us - they should know that something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger.

Today our thoughts are with the victim and with his family. They are grieving for their loved one and we have lost a brave soldier.

This morning I have chaired a meeting of Cobra.

And I want to thank the police and security services for the incredible work they do to keep our country safe.

There are police investigations and security service operations under way, so obviously there is a limit on what I can say, but already a number of things are clear.

First, this country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror.

We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms.

Second, this view is shared by every community in our country. This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life, it was also a betrayal of Islam, and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country.

There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act.

We will defeat violent extremism by standing together, by backing our police and security services, and above all by challenging the poisonous narrative of extremism on which this violence feeds.

Britain works with our international partners to make the world safe from terrorism, terrorism that has taken more Muslim lives than any other religion. It is an utter perversion of the truth to pretend anything different.

That is why there is absolutely no justification for these attacks and the fault for them lies solely and purely with the sickening individuals who carried out this appalling attack.

Confronting extremism is a job for us all, and the fact that our communities will unite in doing this was vividly demonstrated by the brave Cub pack leader,  Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, who confronted one of the attackers on the streets of Woolwich yesterday afternoon.

When told by the attacker he wanted to start a war in London, she replied: "You're going to lose. It is only you versus many."

She spoke for us all.

The police and security services will follow every lead, will turn over every piece of evidence, will make every connection, and will not rest until we know every single detail of what happened and we have brought all of this responsible to justice.

I know from three years of being prime minister that the police and intelligence services work around the clock to keep us safe from violent extremism. I watch their work every week. They do an outstanding job. They show incredible heroism, much of which cannot be reported.

They have my staunch support and the support of the whole country.

The point that the two suspects in this horrific attack were known to the security services has been widely reported. You would not expect me to comment on this when a criminal investigation is ongoing, but what I can say is this: as is the normal practice in these sorts of cases, the Independent Police Complaints Commission will be able to review the actions of the police, and the intelligence and security committee will be able to do the same for the wider agencies, but nothing should be done to get in the way of their absolutely vital work.

After an event like this, it is natural that questions will be asked about what additional steps can be taken to keep us safe.

I will make sure those questions are asked and answered, but I’m not in favour of knee-jerk responses. The police have responded with heightened security and activity, and that is right, but one of the best ways of defeating terrorism is to go about our normal lives, and that is what we shall all do.

One of the best ways of defeating terrorism is to go about our normal lives, and that is what we should all do, he says, finishing his statement.

I'll get the full quotes shortly.

He says it has been widely reported that the suspects were known to security services. He can't comment on that.

The IPCC investigation into the shooting will not get in the way of the investigation into the attack, he says.

There is absolutely no justification for these attacks and the fault for them lies with the individuals who carried them out, he says.

He pays tribute to Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, who spoke to the perpetrators. She was told by one of them they wanted to start a war.

She replied: "You're going to lose. It is only you versus many." She spoke for us all, says Cameron.

Our thoughts are with the victim and his family, Cameron says.

He wants to thank the police and security services.

This country will be absolutely resolute against violent extremism and terror.

We will never give in to terrorism, he says.

That view is shared by every community in the country.

It was an attack on Britain and it was also a betrayal of Islam.

There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act, he says.

He says what happened yesterday has "sickened us all".

The images are "deeply shocking". The perpetrators were trying to divide us - but it will only bring us together and make us stronger.

Cameron is speaking now.

The Guardian understands that the dead soldier had served one tour in Afghanistan.

David Cameron has tweeted, echoing Boris Johnson's comments by saying that "one of the best ways to defeat terrorism is to go about our normal lives".

A podium has been set up for David Cameron outside No 10. He should be speaking shortly.

My colleague Sandra Laville says the house searched in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, is where one of the suspects' families lives. The search was one of several being carried out as counter-terrorist officers investigate the backgrounds of the two suspects, she reports.

The BBC is reporting that police raided a house in Greenwich, near Woolwich, at about 5.30am today. It is not believed to be the address of one of the suspects, the BBC reports, and two sisters in their 30s, an older woman and a teenage boy were "taken away" by the police, according to the corporation. Police officers are still there, the BBC says.

A Metropolitan police spokeswoman confirmed that officers travelled to Lincolnshire last night to carry out searches. She said: "We can confirm that the MPS executed a search warrant at an address in Lincolnshire. This is connected to the ongoing investigation into the murder of a man in Woolwich."

The property in Lincolnshire that was searched by police was in the village of Saxilby, PA reports. Lincolnshire police said:

We can confirm that the Metropolitan police executed a search warrant under PACE [the Police and Criminal Evidence Act] at an address in Lincolnshire. This is in connection with the ongoing investigation into the murder of a man in Woolwich. The Metropolitan police are not prepared to discuss the matter further at this stage.

Boris Johnson is to visit the scene of the attack in Woolwich this morning. The mayor's office said he would speak to senior Metropolitan police officers and seek to send out a message of reassurance to Woolwich residents and other Londoners.

Scotland Yard has confirmed that the man killed yesterday in Woolwich was a serving soldier who has yet to be formally identified. The force said that in line with his family's wishes his identity will not be released at this stage. 

In a statement police said:

We believe we know his identity but he has yet to be formally identified. His next of kin have been informed. In line with the wishes of his family we will not be releasing his identity at this stage. A post-mortem examination will take place later today.

The Guardian understands the release of the soldier's identity has been delayed.

Troops in London were advised in the immediate aftermath of yesterday's attack not to wear their uniforms outside their bases, the Press Association reports. But at Cobra this morning, it was agreed that issuing orders against wearing military uniforms in public would not be the right response to the outrage, the news agency writes.

PA quotes a No 10 source as saying that last night's advice was an "understandable reaction" while the circumstances of the attack were still unclear, but added that David Cameron and others at the meeting this morning agreed that "the best way to defeat terrorists was to continue with normal life".

Newspaper editors were right to publish the horrific images from yesterday's attack, Roy Greenslade argues.

There are all sorts of arguments in favour. Practical and technological first - pictures and film clips of the incident were across social media within minutes. Newspapers (and TV) would have looked completely daft to ignore what was already in the public domain.

The man wasn't trying to hide from the spotlight. He was aware he was "speaking to camera" in order to deliver "a message" that attempted to justify his unjustifiable act.

It could be said that the media were playing into his hands by giving him the publicity he was seeking. But, given the situation, there was a need to explain. And the pictures lifted from the filmed footage were therefore essential to the exercise.

The Stop the War Coalition have issued a statement on Wednesday's killing in Woolwich. 

The attack in Woolwich yesterday was horrific. There can be no justification for a murderous attack on an individual soldier in the streets of London. It must have been awful too for the local people who witnessed it.

Unlike with most terrorist attacks or indeed other crimes, we have been able to see film footage of the perpetrators, hear testimony from the witnesses who saw or talked to them. So we know what these men say motivated them. They claimed that the killing of the soldier was in response to the killing of Muslims by British soldiers in other countries. One said that the government did not care for people and should get the troops out.

The Boston bombers last month were supposedly similarly motivated. The Woolwich attack, carried out by two men now shot and wounded and under arrest in hospital, appears to represent a phenomenon that was pointed out nearly a decade ago by the security services in Britain: that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would lead to a growing threat of terrorism in Britain. Those of us in Stop the War have long predicted that these sorts of attacks would happen because of the war on terror.

Unfortunately there is little sign that the government, media and military will draw any of the conclusions that they should from the attack ...

Read the full statement here. 

Civil rights pressure group Liberty is pushing back against peers calling for the communications data bill to now be put back on the table. Isabella Sankey, the group's director of policy, said: "Acts like these and subsequent ugly reprisals are designed to terrorise and provoke. Let us respond in our best British traditions and resist calls for legislation that will not make us safer - but only less free."

Lincolnshire police have confirmed the Metropolitan police have executed a search warrant at an address in Lincolnshire, the BBC reports.

The No 10 press office has put out a statement about this morning's Cobra meeting, which lasted about an hour. In attendance were:

• The home secretary, Theresa May.
• The defence secretary, Philip Hammond.
• The mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
• The commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Bernard Hogan-Howe.
• The Met's assistant commissioner, Cressida Dick.
• Minister for faith and communities, Lady Warsi.
• The communities secretary, Eric Pickles.
• "Intelligence agencies."

A No 10 spokesman said:

There was an operational update from the police and agencies into the ongoing investigation and an update from the MOD [Ministry of Defence] on protective security.

There was a discussion about community cohesion. The strength and unity of response from Muslim community leaders was recognised and commended by ministers and others around the table.

The PM is expected to make a statement to the media on the attack shortly.

The BNP leader, Nick Griffin, has also reacted to the killing with provocative tweets calling for a protest in Woolwich and claiming the crime is the result of "mass immigration". Sam Jones, Ben Quinn and Conal Urquhart have more on the dangers of a backlash against British Muslims here.

The Independent is reporting that one of the two men involved in Wednesday's killing was known to a banned Islamist organisation.

Anjem Choudary, the former leader of the group, Al Muhajiroun, said he had known the man who was seen on video with bloodied hands and waving a meat cleaver.

Choudary said the man who he said converted to Islam in 2003 and was a British-born Nigerian, had stopped attending meetings of Al Muhajiroun and its successor organisations two years ago. 

He told the Independent:

He attended our meetings and my lectures. I wouldn’t describe him as a member [of Al Muhajiroun]. There were lots of people who came to our activities who weren’t necessarily members.

He was a pleasant, quiet guy. He converted to Islam in about 2003. He was just a completely normal guy. He was interested in Islam, in memorising the Koran. He disappeared about two years ago. I don’t know what influences he has been under since then.

One of the suspected killers, who addressed an onlooker who had a camera, said the pair had carried out the attack "because David Cameron, [the] British government sent troops in Arabic country".

Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, has pledged Labour's "full support" for the government and security services as they seek to establish the facts and prevent any future similar crimes:

As a country we should respond with a reassertion of the values of tolerance and justice, the values that these extremists hate so much about our country.

We should all help to ensure our armed forces never feel fearful in public. They protect us, and today each of us can send a loud message of support, solidarity and gratitude to all service personnel serving in our towns and cities at home and overseas.

Police were facing questions today about why their armed response team took 20 minutes to arrive, according to several eyewitnesses, Sandra Laville reports.

While members of the public bravely confronted the suspects as they wielded their bloodstained knives, unarmed police officers waited behind the cordon for the armed response.

The Metropolitan police refused to respond today to questions as to why the unit took so long. Counter-terrorist officers are leading a murder inquiry.

The Guardian understands that one of the two suspects is known to have expressed an interest in travelling to Somalia to support the al-Qaida affiliate Al-Shabaab, but whether he was actually arrested and if so when is unclear.

The men are not thought to be related to one another.

Police and the intelligence services are also looking into possible links between the two men and the outlawed group Al-Muhajiroun, which was originally formed by Omar Bakri Mohammed, the extremist preacher. That would be an obvious line of inquiry and may not necessarily indicate their involvement with the group, the Guardian understands.

The BBC are reporting that it understands guidance has been issued to members of the armed forces to "conceal" their uniforms if in public, especially when travelling alone, in light of Wednesday's attack.

Lord West, the former security minister, has weighed in on the debate over the now-shelved communications data bill (see earlier). The bill, blocked by Nick Clegg, would allow investigators to get hold of suspects' phone records to trace their contacts. West told Sky News:

If we don't get a communications data bill, then in the future we won't be able to find that sort of information.

That information is extremely important for our security services to be able to pin down people, find out who they are linked with, who maybe radicalised them - was it just themselves or is there someone radicalising more people?

We need to know this information and I do think that the communications data bill which was due to come through and has been put on pause by the deputy prime minister, I think that's a terrible mistake.

The Greenwich Islamic Centre has put out a statement condemning "in the strongest terms the barbaric murder of a serving army officer and share the grief and sorrow of the nation". The statement adds:

The local Muslim community has always enjoyed an excellent relationship with the people from all walks of life regardless of their religion, colour or ethnic background. 

We do not and will never support such evil acts, and strongly suggest that both of these men should be severely punished as criminal and not as so-called 'Muslims' for the crime they have committed, with full force of law.

Academic website The Conversation have posted analysis on yesterday's killing from Matthew Francis, Senior Research Associate, Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University: 

In the aftermath of the Woolwich incident, a suspect (apparently with a London accent) speaking into a video camera, said: “in our land our women have to see the same …”

This may seem a contradiction to some viewers, but recent research has demonstrated that through the news, through kinship ties, the internet and migration, ideas are exchanged and identities constantly negotiated that transcend national borders.

In some cases, not necessarily this one, this leads to people taking on the causes of other people they have never met, and regurgitating ideologies that attract them.

The Guardian understands that one of the two suspects is British-born, and the other was born in Nigeria and is a naturalised British citizen. Both have Nigerian heritage.

The Cobra meeting was over quite quickly and the prime minister is due to give a statement at 11am.

Boris Johnson, exiting the meeting, said:

Everything I’m hearing reassures me that Londoners can go about their business in the normal way and we’re going to bring the killers to justice. 

Police have this morning sealed off a flat believed to belong to the sister of a men named unofficially as one of the attackers, Peter Walker reports.

Around half a dozen uniformed officers blocked the stairwell outside the second floor flat inside a small, 1940s-built block in Harold Wood, near Romford, Essex.

Anyone approaching was asked to leave the building.

Neighbours in the quiet, suburban street said they knew nothing of the sister, or of reports that the suspected attacker himself might have stayed at the flat sometimes.

The Cobra meeting seems to be breaking up. Journalists Joey Jones and Adam Boulton are reporting on Twitter that Boris Johnson, Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, and ministers Eric Pickles and Lady Warsi have left. 

On BBC News just now, Farooq Murad of the Muslim Council of Britain was asked about reports that one or both the attackers had shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they carried out the killing. Murad said:

That is such an attack, an insult, against our faith and community. That is a phrase we use to highlight the greatness of God, but this is a horrible criminal activity.

We can have a difference of opinion, a difference of views, and we can express that; there are many campaigns against drone attacks, against war, the whole movement against the war: we live in a democratic country. And I would say the best way is we encourage people to participate in discussion and debate.

Islam does not under any pretext give this licence to anyone to kill innocent on our streets, anywhere in the world.

He said the Muslim community was “a very substantial community of just under 3 million people, a very diverse community” and there were “international issues that raise anger and grievance” among some parts of that community.

But, he said: “This is not the way to express that anger. This is completely counterproductive.”

Murad was also asked about last night’s EDL demonstration. He said:

When attacks like these happen there’s always the danger of far-right extremism also raising its head. I think any form of extremism, any form of encouragement or incitement to violence, is something we stand firmly against.

Foresight News agency are reporting that the Queen is scheduled to visit Woolwich Barracks on May 31. 

Police are continuing to carry out forensic work at the scene of the murder this morning, the BBC reports.

Earlier, Lord Reid, the former Labour home secretary, said the government should revive plans to extend internet and email monitoring powers to the security services, which Nick Clegg apparently stamped on before the Queen's speech earlier this month.

Last night Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terror laws, also said Woolwich should provoke a "pause for thought" on the decision to drop the planned communications data bill. "Lone wolves, even though they are always inevitably connected at least with internet training, are very difficult to catch so we must give the authorities proportionate tools to catch them."

Nick Pickles, director of privacy and civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, has said it is "wholly wrong" for Reid and Carlile to be arguing this way "before the details of what has happened in Woolwich are clear and before even the family of the victim had been notified". He added: "At this time our thoughts should be with the victim's family and not on scoring political headlines."

Pickles went on:

Lord Reid was one of those responsible for the knee-jerk decision to try and introduce powers for people to be detained for up to 90 days without trial by the last government, after the 7/7 attack. That should be a clear warning of the dangers of rushing forward policy changes when the nation is in shock and of those who seek to use the politics of fear.

The current government made clear in the Queen's speech it will bring forward proposals to address the important issue of identifying who is using a particular internet address and they are right to do so. We face down terrorists by defending our values and traditions and acting proportionately, which is a balance current policy recognises.

Julie Siddiqi, of the Islamic Society of Britain, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme:

We can't allow the voices of Nick Griffin and the far right to become louder than ours in the coming days. They will say what we have to say and it gives us even more incentive to speak out and come together and not allow people like that to divide us as a country. 

The people who did this act yesterday do not speak in my name, do not speak for my community or the rest of the country. We have to come out with the strongest condemnation, which is what I'm seeing this morning. 

All of the Muslim organisations have come out with the strongest possible terms to say there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever, no justification for anything like this. 

This is one of the most shocking things I have seen in recent years and to have the people of Woolwich have to experience that so close to them, I just feel is absolutely horrific.

The Society has also published a statement:

David Cameron has tweeted that he has been updated by "the commissioner" (presumably of the Metropolitan police) and is to chair a Cobra emergency committee meeting shortly.

He says he is to make a statement on the "sickening killing" later this morning.

Sky News have just interviewed Graham Wilders, who lives very close to where a soldier was killed yesterday.

Asked if local people would be more frightened about having an army base on their doorstep, he said people would carry on as normal

What’s the point of hiding in your house? You might as well just carry on with your days, and keep on going. That’s how the British people are, that’s how we are. 

The Guardian's Mokhtar Amiri in Kabul has spoken to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid about yesterday's incident in Woolwich. Mujahid said that the Taliban's international committee dealt with affairs outside Afghanistan, and he was waiting to hear from them before he could comment on the attack.

Nick Raynsford, the Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, has just given a message to the English Defence League on Sky News:

Go home and grow up. Behaving in the way that they did, trying to foment trouble and cause difficulties in a community that has just suffered such an appalling outrage is entirely counterproductive. I’m pleased to say the police were present [at last night’s EDL unrest], they contained it and they prevented it from becoming a bigger incident. But it does nothing at all to help restore confidence and to build good relations between the people who live in Woolwich and I sincerely hope there will be no further repeat.

Asked if politicians were just tiptoeing around the issue of political Islam, Raynsford said:

One of the things that I’ve been pleased about in the last 24 hours is the absolutely unequivocal condemnation that’s come from the British Muslim Council and many senior Muslims in Britain, who are as appalled as everyone else is by this. This is a perversion of Islam, this is not the true Islam that we’ve seen in the hideous incident in Woolwich yesterday. And it’s right that everyone, whatever their background, whatever their religion, condemns this appalling action and ensures that the people responsible are brought to justice and we do everything possible to prevent a repeat.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has praised the courage shown by the residents of Woolwich and has called for Londoners to show similar bravery by going about their normal business. 

I want to make one obvious point that is that it is completely wrong to blame this killing on the religion of Islam and it is also equally wrong to link this murder to the actions of British foreign policy.

He added that the fault lay "wholly and exclusively in the deluded mindset of the people who did it".

He paid tribute to the police and security services and the people of Woolwich, "who showed such exemplary bravery and courage".

Johnson called other Londoners to follow their example.

That’s the spirit of London, that is what I would call on people to do in London today, [to] go about their normal business.

The Guardian understands that the details of the dead soldier's identity are likely to come from the Metropolitan police in the next couple of hours. 

Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, has just told Radio 4’s Today Programme the security services would be wanting to see if this was the start of a planned wave (he thought not) or could it lead to copycat attacks.

In addition they would want to try to damp down tensions between communities.

Lady Neville-Jones, the former security minister and former chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, said the perpetrators would now be questioned. Are these men acting on their own, she asked. Are they linked to others in this country or abroad?

She said she also felt this was a “lone wolf” attack, the kind of attack hard to predict and foil.

She said it was “very welcome” that Muslim leaders in the UK had condemned the attack. But they needed to redouble their efforts to tackle “the spread of this kind of rhetoric”, she said, and emphasise “this is not a way it’s legitimate to behave”.

Asked about soldiers being banned from wearing uniforms on the streets, as they were during the worst years of IRA attacks, Kemp said it would be “wrong to suggest we live in a state of fear of this kind of attack continuing”. However, he said it was “possible” further attacks like this would follow.

Kemp suggested internet sites containing jihadist material and preaching should be looked at. (Here my colleagues Nick Hopkins and Sandra Laville look at the impact of the online al-Qaida magazine Inspire and the influential preaching of the late Anwar al-Awlaki of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsular.) 

Neville-Jones said the police would want to “keep an eye” on the EDL regarding community relations in the coming days.

The BBC is reporting that the next of kin of the member of the British armed forces who was killed yesterday are now thought to have been informed of his death.

Woolwich and Greenwich MP Nick Raynsford has told ITV Daybreak he is "shocked and appalled" by the suspected terror attack in Woolwich, adding his priority has been to reassure his constituents the incident is understood to have been isolated.

He will be meeting community leaders and members of the services in Woolwich this morning.

Former home secretary Lord Reid has told BBC Breakfast this morning that yesterday's attack in Woolwich is a reminder of risks taken by those in the armed services. 

He added: “The dividing line isn't between Muslims and everyone else; it's between terrorists and everyone else.”

Last night Reid said the government should revive plans to extend internet and email monitoring powers to the security services.

The Labour ex-home secretary said such measures were "essential" to combating terrorism, warning it could otherwise take "some huge tragedy" to show the decision was wrong.

He said said mobile phone data had been crucial in foiling the 2006 plot to blow up aeroplanes using liquid explosives but that terrorists now used online communication. 

Had we not had that method of connecting people through their communications, 2,500 people would probably have been blown out of the sky over the United Kingdom. It was a vital component. 

But now people have moved on from mobile phones to internet, email, text, Skype. We don't have the means of doing what we did six years ago. 

That is where some of the measures the government has refused to implement, like data communication, is absolutely essential for effective fighting of terrorism.

You will never find out whether you are right on this one until there is some huge tragedy that might have been averted if they had updated the communication appraisals that can be carried out at GCHQ.

The Cobra meeting is due to begin at 8.45am. 

Good morning.

The prime minister is to chair a Cobra emergency response committee later today in response to the killing of a man, believed to be a soldier, in Woolwich yesterday.

Senior Whitehall sources have confirmed that the victim of the attack, which took place in broad daylight yesterday afternoon was a "military official".

Two men spent the night under armed arrest in hospital as counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the killing.

In this footage (warning: graphic footage), obtained by ITV, one of the suspects gives a passerby his justification for the attacks, as the victim lies in the road behind him:

We swear by the Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone ... We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I apologise that women had to see this today but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your governments. They don't care about you. Do you think David Cameron is gonna get caught in the streets when we start busting our guns? Do you think the politicians are gonna die? No, it's gonna be the average guy – like you.