A serving British soldier has been hacked to death by two men armed with knives and meat cleavers outside a military barracks in London, British media reported late Wednesday.
The incident happened in a street some 200 meters from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, a district of southeast London. The soldier was reportedly wearing a T-shirt that read "Help for Heroes" when he was attacked on John Wilson Street.
Witnesses said the attackers struck down the victim with their car before hacking him to death and mutilating his body. They added that two attackers were shouting Islamic slogans as they carried out the crime in broad day light.
The two attackers were shot and injured by police officers, who arrived at the scene after being informed about the incident by onlookers. The duo is currently receiving medial treatment for their injuries in two separate hospitals under police watch.
A video footage of the incident obtained by ITV News showed a man with bloodied hands wielding a bloodied meat cleaver approaching a camera, and saying: "We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"I apologize that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you," he added.
The British government is considering the incident as a "serious Islamist terrorist attack." In wake of the incident, authorities have tightened security at the barracks and other military installations across the British capital.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who is currently on a short visit to France, said the incident was "very shocking," and stressed that the UK would "never buckle" in the face of such terror attacks. He also cut short his French visit to return to London to chair a national security meeting on Thursday morning.
"People across Britain, people in every community, I believe, will utterly condemn this attack. It is the most appalling crime. The police are urgently seeking the full facts about this case, but there are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident," Cameron said in Paris.
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