David Cameron: I will give Lee Rigby's family any meetings they request

 
Murdered: Fusilier Lee Rigby's family hit out at Facebook after the report (Picture: PA)
PA

David Cameron has agreed to meet the family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby after they appealed to him to give them the full details of the security errors before his death.

Fusilier Rigby’s stepfather Ian Rigby said today that a shocking report into what the spy agencies knew had left a lot of questions unanswered.

He called on Mr Cameron to contact the family, saying: “He’s the only one that has the full report and he’s probably the only one that can get the answers we want.”

Downing Street said the Prime Minister would give the family any meetings they requested.

Fusilier Rigby’s sister Sara McClure said the family mainly blamed Facebook for the failings exposed in the report. It did not have systems to alert the authorities to fanatical material online.

The soldier was killed by two Islamist fanatics on May 22 last year. Ms McClure, 25, said the family was left “knowing that it could have been prevented and wasn’t prevented”.

Asked who she blamed, she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “The failings of MI5 and the internet companies —mainly the internet companies.”

She also criticised the security services after the report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found errors in the surveillance of one of the killers.

Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, ran over and almost beheaded Fusilier Rigby in Woolwich.

Adebowale had a Facebook account that urged: “Let’s kill a soldier”, but it was not seen until after the murder.

Facebook closed down several other pages of extremist material set up by Adebowale but did not report any of them to the authorities.

The ISC report revealed that MI5 cancelled intensive surveillance of Adebolajo a month before the attack. Plans to monitor Adebowale were signed off hours after the murder.

Home Secretary Theresa May today published new anti-terrorism laws in the Commons which will include powers to identify computers used to post dangerous material.

The Liberal Democrats have dropped opposition to powers to relocate terrorism suspects. Justice minister Simon Hughes denied it was a Lib-Dem U-turn on their opposition to old Control Orders. He said the new TPim powers were “much more focused”.

David Anderson, the Government’s independent terrorism adviser, today told MPs that a large proportion of Britons heading to Syria to fight with extremists were from London.

A couple from Walsall were arrested at Heathrow last night on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences after flying in from Istanbul.

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