Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were sentenced today for the murder of Lee Rigby, a fusilier in the British Army, the BBC reports. The two hit Rigby with a car and then hacked him to death in broad daylight in May 2013.
Adebolajo (left) received a life term in prison, and Adebowale received a minimum of 45 years in prison. Both were absent during sentencing; the men started a fight with security guards and had to be escorted out of the room. Minutes before the judge announced the sentencing, Adebolajo apparently shouted, "Allahu akbar."
The judge said during the sentencing that the evidence was “overwhelming,” the murder was “barbaric,” and that the two had purposefully committed the murder “in a way that would generate the maximum amount of media coverage.”
Adebelajo intended to die and wanted to be put to death, claiming he was a “soldier of Allah,” the killing being an act of war.
"We feel satisfied justice has been served for Lee," the Rigby family said in a statement.
