Queen Elizabeth II visits barracks of murdered British soldier

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II on Friday visited the barracks in London of a soldier who was brutally murdered, as the second suspect in the attack was discharged from hospital and taken into custody for questioning.

Michael Adebolajo, 28, a convert to Islam who was shot and injured by police in the May 22 incident, faces questioning over the killing of soldier Lee Rigby and the attempted murder of a police officer, Scotland Yard said in a statement.

His fellow suspect Michael Adebowale, 22, was discharged from hospital on Tuesday and charged the following day with murder and possessing a revolver.

The inquest into Rigby's death heard that the soldier was run over by a car before being attacked by two men armed with a cleaver and a knife. The inquest was opened and adjourned to allow the investigation by counter-terrorism police to continue.

The queen visited the barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, where the 25-year-old soldier was based, in an engagement planned long before the attack.

The monarch marked Rigby's death by meeting privately with some of the officers and soldiers who worked with him, a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said.

The victim's family issued an appeal for calm following a number of attacks on mosques and a rise in anti-Muslim incidents since his death.

"Lee would not want people to use his name as an excuse to carry out attacks against others," his relatives said in a statement.

"We would not wish any other families to go through this harrowing experience and appeal to everyone to keep calm and show their respect in a peaceful manner."

The far-right British National Party (BNP) will hold a march in Rigby's name in central London on Saturday, while anti-fascist activists are planning to hold a counter-demonstration.

The BNP had originally planned to march from the murder scene in Woolwich to a nearby mosque, but police blocked the plans because of concerns that it could result in "serious disorder".

A rally by about 1,000 members of the far-right English Defence League (EDL) in central London last Saturday resulted in 13 arrests.

In another development in the case, police arrested two men on suspicion of being involved in the supply of illegal firearms.

A 42-year-old man was arrested in north London and a 46-year-old man was arrested in east London on Friday and were both being questioned.

They were the 11th and 12th arrests as part of the probe into Rigby's murder by Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism branch.

Of the other people arrested, two women were released without charge and six men accused of conspiracy to murder are out on bail.

In a brief hearing, the coroner's court heard that Rigby, an army recruiting officer, was killed as he returned home after a day working at the Tower of London, his regimental headquarters.

The 25-year-old had to be identified by a dental expert, the inquest heard. A post-mortem examination had already found that he died from multiple cut and stab wounds.

"On Wednesday May 22, at approximately 2:20 pm, Lee was returning to barracks after a day working at the Tower of London," Detective Chief Inspector Grant Mallon told the court.

"As he walked into Artillery Place (a road in Woolwich), a vehicle is seen to swerve into the carriageway on which he was walking and strike him.

"The two occupants of the vehicle then exit the vehicle and attack him with a cleaver and a knife."

Mallon said the soldier suffered "extensive and serious injuries".

Security at the court was beefed up for the inquest, which will seek to establish the circumstances of Rigby's death without apportioning blame.

Separately, a man who claimed to be friends with murder suspect Adebolajo was on Friday charged with offences of distributing extremist material, although there was no link to the soldier's murder.

Abu Nusaybah was arrested last week after telling a BBC TV programme that Adebolajo had once come under pressure to become an informer for the British secret services. (AFP)