MI5 approached London attack terrorist six months earlier

A friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of the two terrorists who slaughtered a British soldier in Woolwich last week, told BBC Newsnight Friday that Adebolajo had rejected an attempt by the MI5 security service’s to recruit him about half a year before the attack. The BBC could not obtain confirmation of this claim.

After the interview, the friend, Abu Nusaybah, was arrested at the BBC by the London Metropolitan police Counter-Terrorism Branch “in relation to suspected terrorism offences” and search warrants were executed at two homes in east London.

The arrest was not directly related to the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, the police said.
Earlier, the identity of the second killer was released. He was named as Michael Adebowale, 22, born in Nigeria and immigrated to Britain as a child.
Senior political figures hastened to offer assurances that what MI5 knew about Adebolajo and Adebowale before Wednesday’s attack would be thoroughly investigated by MI5 itself, and by a parliamentary committee.