Smile of a fanatic's sister: Bizarre grin of Blessing, 32, as she is led away by police after brother Michael 'hacked British soldier to death'

  • Blessing Adebolajo, 32, escorted from her property in Romford yesterday
  • She smiled as she got into an unmarked police car and was driven away
  • Her brother Michael, 28, is suspected of killing soldier Lee Rigby, 25
  • Neighbours claim the suspect was regularly seen at his sister's house
  • She has not been arrested by police

By Rob Cooper

PUBLISHED: 06:23 EST, 24 May 2013 | UPDATED: 07:25 EST, 24 May 2013


The sister of the terror suspect accused of hacking a soldier to death smiled yesterday as she was escorted from her home and got into a police car.

Blessing Adebolajo, 32, was led from her property yesterday morning just hours after her brother Michael, 28, was filmed ranting with blood on his hands yards from the body of the murdered soldier in Woolwich.

Blessing was carrying a bag full of clothes as she got into an unmarked police vehicle outside her flat in Romford, Essex, at 8.10am.

Suspect's sister: Blessing Adebolajo, 32, smiles as she gets into an unmarked police car outside her home in Romford, Essex, yesterday morning

Suspect's sister: Blessing Adebolajo, 32, smiles as she gets into an unmarked police car outside her home in Romford, Essex, yesterday morning

It is understood she was not arrested, but police will undoubtedly want to question her about her brother who neighbours said was seen regularly at the house.

A woman purporting to be Adebolajo's sister told the Romford Recorder newspaper yesterday: 'We didn't know he was going to do this.'

 

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Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, 22, have been identified as the men suspected of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby.

Blessing - who has also gone by the surname Daniels - lives on the top floor of the property and used to share the home with her terror suspect brother, neighbours told The Times.

Graham Wells, 30, claimed that Adebolajo smoked drugs when he was staying there.

Led away: Blessing Adebolajo gets into the vehicle yesterday and was taken away. She has not been arrested

Led away: Blessing Adebolajo gets into the vehicle yesterday and was taken away. She has not been arrested

'He liked to smoke a bit of green (marijuana). We played football, a kick-about on the courts. He was a big lad, not the sort of guy you'd want to cross,' he told the newspaper.

'He used to be a normal bloke. he always had a big smile on his face. he'd say "All right Wellsy, all right boy, what's happening?".'

Police also raided a home in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, yesterday which is believed to belong to the terror suspect's father Anthony, 56.

In a chilling rant captured on camera the other side of the road from where drummer Lee Rigby, 25, lay dead, the suspect named as Adebolajo declared: 'The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers.'

Search: Police and forensic officers enter the top floor flat in Romford, Essex, where Adebolajo's sister Blessing lives. Neighbours said he used to live at the property

Search: Police and forensic officers enter the top floor flat in Romford, Essex, where Adebolajo's sister Blessing lives. Neighbours said he used to live at the property

Former schoolfriends of Adebolajo said yesterday he was a 'bright and witty' boy who came from a devoutly Christian family. However, he is understood to have converted to Islam in around 2003.

His mother and father are hard-working Nigerian immigrants from an academic family in West Africa who settled in London in the early 1980s.

Virtually all the friends on his Facebook page have traditional British names such as Louise, Kelly, Robert, Craig, Gemma, Lauren and Paul, to name a few. Among them is Matthew Selt, now a professional snooker player.

After the killing: Michael Adebolajo, 28, pictured on Wednesday, once served a jail sentence for violence

After the killing: Michael Adebolajo, 28, pictured on Wednesday, once served a jail sentence for violence

Angels of Woolwich: Gemini Donnelly-Martin, 20, and her mother Amanda (right) talk to one of the alleged attackers with blood on his hands. Meanwhile, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett (left) talks to the other suspect as Lee Rigby lies dead in the road

Angels of Woolwich: Gemini Donnelly-Martin, 20, and her mother Amanda (right) talk to one of the alleged attackers with blood on his hands. Meanwhile, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett (left) talks to the other suspect, identified as Michael Adebowale. Lee Rigby lies dead in the road

He was 'just a lovely, lovely guy', in the words of former classmate Stephen Cavalier – who, as a serving PC in the Metropolitan Police – could scarcely have followed a different path.

Speaking at his home in Essex yesterday, Mr Cavalier said: 'It seems odd to say it now, after the events of yesterday, but I remember him as just a lovely, lovely guy.

Search: Police forensic teams check the gutters of the home where Blessing Daniels lives in Romford yesterday

Search: Police forensic teams check the gutters of the home where Blessing Daniels lives in Romford yesterday

Search: Forensic officers were seen going in and out of the top floor flat in Romford, Essex, throughout the day yesterday

Search: Forensic officers were seen going in and out of the top floor flat in Romford, Essex, throughout the day yesterday

'I knew Michael at Marshalls Park School in Romford when we were teenagers. He was a good sportsman and just an all-round nice guy.'

He said he was no longer close to Adebolajo, who had requested they become 'Facebook friends' a few years ago.

'As soon as I saw the news last night I immediately recognised it was Michael. I was in shock really when I saw him.'

Previously: Michael Adebolajo was in a group of Muslim extremists who fought with police outside the Old Bailey in 2006. He had been arguing that he had the right to 'behead those who insult Islam'

Previously: Michael Adebolajo was in a group of Muslim extremists who fought with police outside the Old Bailey in 2006. He had been arguing that he had the right to 'behead those who insult Islam'

Terror suspect: Anjem Choudary (right) claimed that this is him pictured with Michael Adebolajo, 28, (circled) at an Islamist demonstration in London in 2007

Terror suspect: Anjem Choudary (right) claimed that this is him pictured with Michael Adebolajo, 28, (circled) at an Islamist demonstration in London in 2007 

Throughout the frenzied attack the two killers shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ – Arabic for ‘God is great’ – then demanded horrified witnesses film them as they ranted over the  crumpled body.

The two black men in their 20s, waited calmly for armed police to arrive before charging at officers brandishing a rusty revolver, knives and meat cleavers.

When the old pistol was shot towards police it backfired and blew the thumb off one of the men.

Moments later they were cut down in a hail of bullets believed to be fired by a woman marksman. Last night both men were being treated in hospital for their wounds and will face questioning.

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Don't blame the woman over her brothers action.

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Yobs were probably getting bene's too. That would be an interesting investigative journalism piece!

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This outrage has made everybody I know sick to the stomach and left them feeling depressed....the sister of the killer, however, smiles sweetly for the cameras....and people on here are defending her?

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Utter incongruence of behaviour and very, very scary.- Fullers , In the brooding hills, United Kingdom, 24/5/2013 16:20 -------------------- Scary words like that on here that trolls don't know the meaning of are pointless, why not just say `out of place behaviour' instead. Further, incongruous is the word you're looking for - your version doesn't exist.

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She should not be smiling. Disrespectful

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We need a Guantanamo Bay type of holding island. Somewhere cold and miserable these lowlifes can be left there to rot, that or bring in capital punishment.

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Maybe because the Policewoman was smiling at her as they chatted. How come there is no blood on the pavement in the photos and yet there is in the aerial pictures? Has someone photoshopped his hands red? As they seem normal in video on line of the same frame.

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If you actually inspect the picture properly you might actually notice the reflection in the car window of someone else smiling (supposedly belonging to the person opening the door) So maybe,just maybe she was smiling at her for a moment and then a camera caught her eye then SNAP! a photo has been taken of her smiling. people always assume!

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There is a time and a place and this is neither the time nor the place for grinning!

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I consider the day is unfortunately approaching when the British bobbies will become armed as are their Australian counterparts. I don't advocate it per se, it took me a long time to become accustomed to it when I moved here to Aus from NZ and it is dead scary seeing your normal police officer man/woman fully armed with gun et al but perhaps it enables a very swift response, not that it would have made any difference in this incredibly sad case.

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