What was claimed
One of Lee Rigby’s killers, Michael Adebolajo, has been killed in prison.
Our verdict
This is false.
One of Lee Rigby’s murderers has not been killed in prison
8 December 2023
A post with over 1,000 shares on X (formerly Twitter) has claimed that one of Lee Rigby’s killers, Michael Adebolajo, has been killed in prison. The claim has also been shared on Facebook.
One post claims: “Lee Rigby's killer, Michael Adebolajo, has been killed inside HMP Woodhill. Reports suggest a convicted drug dealer stabbed him over 50 times.”
The Ministry of Justice confirmed to Full Fact that this is not true.
Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered in Woolwich in 2013 by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. In 2014, Adebolajo was sentenced to a whole-life term and Adebowale was jailed for a minimum of 45 years.
We often see posts falsely claiming that high-profile prisoners have been injured or killed in prison. Most recently we’ve checked similar viral claims about convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby, the police officer who killed Sarah Everard, Wayne Couzens, and the father of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who was convicted for his son’s murder.
Image courtesy of John Cameron