--- description: The killer of soldier Lee Rigby said he was a 'soldier of Allah' title: British Soldier Lee Rigby's Killers Sentenced To Prison image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b32fda2679a3bfc/6986831055a8592bdea7f734/britain-soldier-kille_yang.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [U.K.](/tag/u-k/) ## U.K. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Man Who Killed British Soldier Gets Life Sentence by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 26, 2014 6:07 PM CUT  This undated file image released by the Metropolitan Police on Dec. 19, 2013 shows Michael Adebolajo. This undated file image released by the Metropolitan Police on Dec. 19, 2013 shows Michael Adebolajo.Metropolitan/AP Police by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 26, 2014 6:07 PM CUT The man who murdered British soldier Lee Rigby on the streets of southeast London has been [sentenced](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26357007#TWEET1056386 "undefined") to life in prison, nearly a year after he drove into Rigby and hacked him to death with an accomplice. Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a life sentence, while his accomplice, Michael Adebowale, 22, was ordered to serve at least 45 years, BBC reports. The two started scuffling with court security guards and were removed from the court before the sentences were announced. “You both gloried in what you had done,” the judge about the grisly murder that shocked the country. “Your sickening and pitiful conduct was in stark contrast to the women at the scene who tended to Lee Rigby’s body and challenged what you had done.” Adebolajo claimed the killing was an act of war, and that he was a “solider of Allah.” \[[_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26357007#TWEET1056386 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/9902/man-who-killed-british-soldier-gets-life-sentence/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/9902/man-who-killed-british-soldier-gets-life-sentence/"},"headline":"Man Who Killed British Soldier Gets Life Sentence","datePublished":"2014-02-26T18:07:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:29:36.778Z","description":"The killer of soldier Lee Rigby said he was a 'soldier of Allah'","url":"https://time.com/9902/man-who-killed-british-soldier-gets-life-sentence/","keywords":["U.K.","Crime","al-Qaeda"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b32fda2679a3bfc/6986831055a8592bdea7f734/britain-soldier-kille_yang.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b32fda2679a3bfc/6986831055a8592bdea7f734/britain-soldier-kille_yang.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Britain Soldier Killed","caption":"Britain Soldier Killed","creditText":"Metropolitan/AP Police","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/u-k/","name":"U.K."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/9902/man-who-killed-british-soldier-gets-life-sentence/","name":"Man Who Killed British Soldier Gets Life Sentence"}}]}] ```