LONDON -- The wife of a British soldier brutally murdered in broad daylight in London said on Friday that she thought he was safe in England after returning from active duty in Afghanistan.

Several of Drummer Lee Rigby’s relatives made an emotional, tear-strewn appearance at a news conference Friday, as dramatic video footage emerged showing the moments that police shot two men later arrested over the killing.

Rigby, 25, known as “Riggers” to his friends, was walking near an army barracks in Woolwich, South London, when he was killed on Wednesday.

At the news conference Friday, his father Ian, who did most of the talking as the others mostly appeared too upset to speak, said his son was a “hero” and “didn’t deserve this.”

Rigby’s wife, Rebecca, 30, spoke briefly and was clearly struggling to do so.

“I just want to say that I love Lee. I always will and I’m proud to be his wife,” she said.

“He was due to come up this weekend, so we could continue our future together as a family. He was a devoted father to our son Jack and we’ll both miss him terribly,” she added.

Later, she spoke of her shock at his death in England.

“You don’t expect it to happen when he’s in the U.K. You think they’re safe,” she said. “You know it’s dangerous when they go somewhere like that [Afghanistan] … he’s walked up and down that road so many times before.”

The new video footage was published by the Mirror newspaper, which it said showed the moments when police officers shot the two alleged attackers. It contains scenes that people may find disturbing.

In the video, shot from high above the scene, a man is seen running toward a police car, dropping something that looks like a knife. Two shots are heard and he falls to the ground.

Another man, not clearly visible beneath the trees, appears to hold out his arm toward the officers with something in his hand. A burst of three shots and then another are heard and he also falls to the ground. There are then two further shots.

Separate video footage taken before the police arrived showed a passerby talking to one of the men, who was carrying a large knife and whose hands were covered in blood. The passerby, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, said she also saw a gun.

The two men were taken to hospitals in London for treatment and were later arrested.

At the family news conference, Ian Rigby said that when his son was born, he was “a precious gift” to the family.

“What can we say about Lee, our hero, we’re so proud of Lee,” his father said, struggling to compose himself.

He said Lee had a “fiery temper” when he was younger and he used to sit on his son while trying to calm him down, but when he got too big at about 15 “he used to sit on me.”

Ian Rigby said it had been his son’s dream when he was growing up to join the army.

“He was dedicated and loved his job. Lee adored and cared a lot for all his family and he was very much a family man, looking out for his wife, his young son Jack and his younger sisters, who in turn looked up to him,” he said. “He always had a banter [teasing and joking] with them, but would never ever let any harm come to them.”

The slain soldier had been “over the moon” at becoming a father and an uncle, his father said.

“Lee was a man who loved people. He had many friends growing up in Middleton [Greater Manchester] and on army duties all over the world, where he’d been sent,” he added. “He believed life was for living and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

A statement by his sisters – read by Ian Rigby – said “rest in peace Lee, we loved you so much and you didn’t deserve this.”

“You fought for your country and did it well. You will always be our hero. We’re just upset you left us so early,” the statement added.

Ian Rigby read the last text that Lee Rigby had sent to his mother.

“Good night mam [mother], I hope you had a fantastic day today because you are the most fantastic, one-in-a-million mum that anyone could ever have wished for. Thank you for supporting me all these years. You’re not just my mum, you’re my best friend.”

He also read a poem for his son, that included the lines:

“Our family chain is broken,

And nothing is the same,

But as God takes us one by one,

Our chain will link again.”

Related:

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• PhotoBlog: Britons react with horror and anger to London attack
• 'Leave our lands': Man knifed to death in suspected London terror attack

ROME – If in the U.S. Amanda Knox is widely seen as an innocent young student who fell victim to incompetent prosecutors and a medieval justice system abroad, in Italy many see her as a she-devil with an angel face who literally got away with murder.

It didn’t come as a surprise, then, that Tuesday’s decision by Italy’s High Court to overturn the acquittals of both Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the 2007 killing of British student Meredith Kercher was received with a hint of satisfaction by Italians who obsessively analyzed every twist and turn in one of the most televised trials in Italy's modern history. 

“What’s surprising is that they allowed her to leave Italy in the first place,” said Serena Chiesa, a real estate agent in Milan. “How are they going to bring her back now?”

Her doubts were shared by hundreds of readers of the biggest Italian daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera. Answering an online poll, 95 percent of them said they didn’t believe she would come back even if Italy asked for her extradition.

Conspiracy theories are rampant among Italians as to why Knox was acquitted in the first place.  

"Her acquittal was political, not juridical,” said Irene Colelli, a 40-year-old lawyer who lives in Rome.  

Fabio Massei, a 50-year old Rome-based business manager, also believes international politics played a part in the case. “They are guilty; but they were released after the United States put pressure on the judges.”

Valentino Ferraro, a 38-year-old Roman, had a more mercenary view of the decision. "It's all about the money. As it happens every time a trial attracts so much attention, a huge business is built around it. A lot of people are going to benefit from this retrial: lawyers, judges, journalists, talk shows…"

Ferraro was right about the tremendous media interest in the case, at least on Tuesday.

The High Court decision quickly became the top story in the Italian press, leading news coverage all day. Newspapers, TV newscasts and websites all carried the breaking news story for hours, putting heavy emphasis on the way the news was reported abroad, particularly in the United States.

Once again, two years after Knox and Sollecito's acquittal, the trial grabbed the nation's attention.   

On Twitter, the majority of Italian users welcomed Knox's retrial.

“Finally some justice for Meredith,”@giovafrankie tweeted. “I thought they abandoned her to make the U.S. happy.”

“Asking Knox to come back to Italy is like asking Marie Antoinette to sharpen the blade of her guillotine,” tweeted Pasquale Barbaro on @pasqu85.

Slideshow: A murder in Italy

Oli Scarff / Getty Images

The long legal saga of Amanda Knox, an American student accused of the violent death of her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher, has made headlines around the world since it began in Perugia, Italy, in late 2007.

Launch slideshow

While Knox is not legally required to attend the initial stages of the retrial, which will start in Florence, the United States may reject an eventual extradition request by Italy based on “double jeopardy,” a principle that bars a defendant from being tried twice for a particular offense after being cleared.

Now the High Court judge who overturned the acquittal and ordered another appeal trial has 90 days to publish the motivation behind his decision. Then both the prosecution and defense teams have 45 days to put forward their arguments. This means that the trial won’t start before the end of the summer, if not later in the year.

But while the outcome is unpredictable, the majority of Italians seem to have already issued their guilty verdict.

Related links: 

What's next for Amanda Knox? Questions and answers about the case

Italy court: Amanda Knox to be retried for Meredith Kercher murder

Report: Amanda Knox 'loves Italy' and might return

Mike Holmes / Gallo via Getty Images, file

Model Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead by her boyfriend, Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius on Valentine's Day after she locked herself in the bathroom.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Reeva Steenkamp locked herself in her room when intruders broke into her home two years ago, her uncle said, echoing the model’s apparent actions the night she was shot dead by Olympian Oscar Pistorius.

Steenkamp was given counseling after the break-in at the house where she lived with her parents in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, uncle Mike Steenkamp said in an interview Monday.

According to his account, Steenkamp was at home with her mother in 2011 when a burglar carrying a crowbar smashed into the house. When she heard footsteps Steenkamp raced into her room and hid behind a locked door, he said. 

Prosecution lawyers believe that Steenkamp, 29, locked herself in a bathroom to escape from her boyfriend Pistorius on the morning of Feb. 14.  

They contend that Pistorius -- the 26-year-old sprinter known as "Blade Runner" who inspired millions when he became the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics -- intended to murder his girlfriend when he fired through the door of the bathroom in his Johannesburg home. 

Pistorius says he thought an intruder had broken in.

'The fear'
During the interview, Mike Steenkamp said his niece "must have been reliving the nightmare" of the break-in in the moments before she was killed.

"Two years ago, the same style of locking in. And they could hear the intruders in the house," he said at his home in Cape Town alongside Reeva’s cousin, Jason Mckay. "They took the laptops and everything else in the house."

"Two years ago could have gone through her mind -- the same locking the door, (the) fear," he added.

Mike Steenkamp also said he had forgiven Pistorius for what happened to his niece.

"I've forgiven Oscar and that's actually helped me,” he said. “It's strengthened me so much that I can manage to cope with daily life."

Pistorius was granted bail last month and is due to return to court in June.  

But his lawyers are set to challenge some of the conditions of his bail, which they believe to be unwarranted and unfair.

They argue that evidence presented in court showed that the Paralympian is not a flight risk, so should have the option of traveling outside South Africa with permission.

Mike Steenkamp struggled to contemplate the possibility of Pistorius going overseas.

"You know, I can't associate with that. I can't allow my mind to go in that direction. I must try and keep away from that. And that's the only way that's going to help myself,” he said.

Mckay, Reeva's cousin, added: "It would be a bit unfair, though, because I know that anyone else in this situation would not be allowed to go anywhere else."

Pistorius' lawyers are also seeking to overturn a ruling that prevents him from returning to the estate where he shot his girlfriend.

Prosecutors have indicated that they will oppose any application to have bail conditions altered.

Related:

Slain model's father: Pistorius will 'suffer' if he's lying about her death

Oscar Pistorius' father accused of racism over gun comments

Oscar Pistorius murder case detective quits South African police

EPA, file

Hilton Botha at the bail hearing of paralympian Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria, South Africa, Feb. 20.

JOHANNESBURG - Hilton Botha, the South African detective ridiculed for his slipshod handling of the initial investigation into the killing of Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend has resigned from the force, police said on Thursday.

Warrant Officer Botha, a detective with 24 years experience, was the first officer on the scene after the Valentine's Day shooting of law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp.

However, he was pulled off the case after it emerged he was being investigated for seven counts of attempted murder. He was also criticized for mixing up key facts about the investigation at Pistorius' bail hearing.

He handed in his resignation yesterday and it was accepted with immediate effect," police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila told Reuters. "We are not going into the details."

Botha, a detective with 24 years experience, is accused of firing on a minibus taxi full of passengers in 2011 while pursuing a man accused of murdering a woman and disposing of her dismembered body down a drain, local media said.

The charges were withdrawn but reinstated on February 4, 10 days before Steenkamp was shot.

The incident has embarrassed the South African police who regularly come under fire for failing to reduce one of the highest crimes rates in the world and dispel perceptions of a force that is poorly trained.

Last week, eight policemen were arrested for tying a Mozambican taxi driver to the back of a vehicle and dragging him to the station. The video-recorded treatment of the man who later died shocked audiences around the world.

Related:

Pistorius bail hearing in chaos as lead detective is axed from case

Lead detective in Pistorius case faces attempted murder charges

Pistorius: I felt 'sense of terror' on night I mistakenly shot girlfriend

Altaf Qadri / AP

Protesters near the Indian parliament Thursday complain that a new sexual violence law is inadequate. Their signs call for the removal of the deputy chairman of the parliament's upper house, P.J. Kurien, who is facing rape allegations.

NEW DELHI -- Police were searching villages in western India on Friday for suspects in the rape and killing of three young sisters, as Indians still angry over the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus in December face another heinous sexual attack.

The bodies of the sisters — ages 7, 9 and 11 — were found Feb. 16 in a village well in Bhandara district in Maharashtra after they had gone missing from school two days earlier, said police officer Abhinav Deshmukh. The area is more than 600 miles south of New Delhi, the capital.

The victims' mother said police did not take the case seriously and did nothing for several days until villagers held protests.

Deshmukh said Friday that 10 teams of 30 investigators were working on the case and that he was confident they would find the killers soon.

Police first dismissed the deaths as accidental, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The girls' mother accused police of a shoddy investigation and said they did nothing for two days. Enraged villagers forced shops to close, burned tires and blocked a national highway passing in the area for hours earlier this week, demanding justice.

Police eventually registered a case of rape and murder after a post-mortem of the girls found that they had been sexually abused and brutally killed, PTI said.

One police officer has been suspended for not acting promptly, Indian Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, who represents Bhandara district in Parliament, said Thursday.

Cabinet Minister Manish Tewari called the killings a "very, very heinous assault" and said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sending 1 million rupees ($18,300) to the girls' family.

The case has horrified Indians two months after they were outraged by the gang rape and killing of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus.

The gang rape sparked nationwide protests about India's treatment of women and spurred the government to hurry through a new package of laws to protect them.

The gang rape victim and her male friend, who also was badly beaten up in the attack, were dumped naked on the roadside, and the woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges in that case, while a sixth, who is underage, is in juvenile court.

A new law enacted by the government has increased the prison sentences for rape from the existing seven to 10 years to a maximum of 20 years. It also provides for the death penalty in extreme cases of rape that result in death or leave the victim in a coma.

Related:

Report: Six held over another bus gang rape

PhotoBlog: India considers tougher punishment for sex crimes

Video: Father of rape victim recalls daughter's tears

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius was granted bail Friday pending his trial for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Olympic and Paralympic star Pistorius, dubbed the “Blade Runner,” maintains he did not realize Steenkamp was in the locked bathroom of his home in a suburb of Pretoria, South Africa, and fired through the door in a panic over a possible prowler early on Valentine's Day.

However, prosecutors say the 26-year-old committed the “premeditated murder” of Steenkamp, 29, a model and trained lawyer, who was staying overnight at his house.

On the fourth day of his bail hearing Friday, Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair told the court that he had "come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be granted bail."

There was a cry of "yes" from the public gallery after his decision, and his relatives embraced, cried and prayed.

In contrast to the joy of his relatives, Pistorius looked upset.

Nair spoke for more than 90 minutes prior to announcing his decision, summarizing the testimony given to the four-day hearing, citing previous cases and the relevant laws.

He said he had “difficulty” with several aspects of Pistorius’ account of what happened, talking of a number of “improbabilities.”

“I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused did not ascertain the whereabouts of his girlfriend,” Nair said. He said he also struggled to understand “why the accused would not seek to ascertain who was in the toilet” before opening fire.

'Not a flight risk'
But he said he had concluded that Pistorius was "not a flight risk" and said there was no evidence before him that the athlete might interfere with state witnesses. He also said he did not have evidence to suggest Pistorius was "not of a stable mind."

Nair also criticized Warrant Officer Hilton Botha – a police officer pulled from the case because he is facing attempted murder charges -- for making “several errors” during his testimony to the bail hearing.

He also said Botha had “blundered” when he claimed to have found testosterone in Pistorius’ room and had not “spent as much time as he ought to have if he wanted to show the accused has a propensity to violence.”

Nair set bail at a million rand (about $112,000). Pistorius, who was to be freed on payment of the money, was ordered to report to a police station twice a week, among a number of bail conditions.

Pistorius was also ordered to stay away from witnesses, surrender his passports, hand over his firearms and not drink alcohol. The case was then adjourned until June 4.

The athlete left the court at about 5:45 p.m. local time (10:45 a.m ET). He could be seen in a silver Land Rover that was pursued by members of the media on motorcycles after it left the court compound, Reuters reported. The SUV traveled to the home of Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius, in the Pretoria suburb of Waterkloof, where at least five private security guards kept reporters at bay.

Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for the prosecution, said that they respected the court’s decision.

“We would like to assure everyone that we’re still confident of this case,” he said. “We believe that we will make it through during the trial."

Before the bail decision, prosecutor Gerrie Nel had told the court that “one must stretch” to believe Pistorius’ account of what happened on the night of the shooting.

And Nel questioned why Steenkamp would have stayed silent and not alerted Pistorius that she was in the bathroom.

“Why would she not have shouted, 'Where are you (Oscar)? What's going on?’” Nel said. “She did not say a word. She did not scream. She did nothing! I think that's improbable. ... It's not true!"

In a statement read to the court on Tuesday, Pistorius described waking up and and going to his bedroom balcony to bring a fan inside and close the sliding glass doors and blinds. After hearing a noise in the bathroom, the double-amputee said he felt "a sense of terror" and feared a prowler was in the house.

Pistorius' account added:

"I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted at Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding.

"When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet."

Defense lawyer Barry Roux told the court before the decision on bail that Pistorius should at most be charged with culpable homicide, which is the unlawful, negligent killing of someone under South African law.

He said “intent” to possibly kill a burglar could not be transferred to become intent to kill Steenkamp.

Roux said Pistorius would not be able to flee the country unnoticed. If he went through security at an airport, "the system would react."

The lawyer added that Pistorius would not skip bail, saying that his prosthetics needed adjustment every month and that he also required medication for his stomach.

The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 meters at the London 2012 Olympics.

In South Africa, Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related: 

Pistorius bail hearing in chaos as lead detective is axed from case

Fragrance brand parts ways with Pistorius

Pistorius' uncle: Olympian in shock, 'will bounce back'

This story was originally published on Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:34 AM EST

Two major sponsors of "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius, the Olympic and Paralympic star accused of murdering his model girlfriend, announced on Monday they are no longer supporting the standout South African athlete.

Oakley, the eyewear manufacturer, announced in a statement that it would immediately suspend its contract with Pistorius. And sporting gear giant Nike told the Associated Press the company has no plans to use him in any future advertisements. A 2007 Nike Internet ad featuring Pistorius springing with the caption “I am the bullet in the chamber” has been pulled from the web.

Dion Chang / AP

This photo taken through a car window shows workers taking down a billboard of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius endorsing a product in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday.

News of the athlete’s lost endorsements came just hours after his agent told media that the companies would stand by Pistorius as details of the still-mysterious shooting continue to emerge.

"All sponsors are still on board, and they have given us their commitment towards Oscar, based on the relationships that they have formed with him over the past years," said Peet van Zyl, who represents the double-amputee. "They are quite happy to allow the legal process to take its course before they make any other further and formal announcements on it."

The 26-year-old sprinter is due to appear Tuesday in a South African court, where he will seek bail. He strongly denied charges that he murdered model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp, 29, at his home near Pretoria early on Valentine’s Day.

Despite the bail hearing, all his upcoming races have been canceled, van Zyl confirmed.

Steenkamp died from gunshot wounds, according to police. Her funeral is due to take place Tuesday.

Karyn Maughan, legal correspondent for South Africa news channel ENCA, told NBC's TODAY that the sprinter would need to convince the court that her death was an accident.

“If he can’t prove that her death was unintentional, then it is unlikely he will get bail, and he also faces a life sentence in jail,” she said.

“He must try to convince the court he shot her in confusion, thinking she was an intruder. His difficulty is that multiple credible witness accounts suggest there were noises that sounded like an argument coming from the house before the shooting.”

According to newspaper reports Sunday, two friends claimed the sprinter called them in a panic after the shooting, telling them he had shot Steenkamp in a "terrible accident."

Pistorius’ uncle Arnold Pistorius on Saturday said the Paralympian was “numb with shock, as well as grief.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Related:

Prosecutor: 'Blade Runner' committed 'premeditated' murder of girlfriend

Reeva Steenkamp was model, budding TV star

This story was originally published on Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:21 AM EST

Denis Farrell / AP

Arnold Pistorius, right, uncle of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, comforts his niece after making a statement to selected press in Pretoria, South Africa, Feb. 16, 2013.

The uncle of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius said Saturday that the runner, who overcame physical disabilities to become a national icon in his native South Africa, was “numb with shock, as well as grief” after the shooting death of model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Prosecutors on Friday accused Pistorius of the “premeditated” murder of his girlfriend.

“As you can imagine, our entire family is devastated, we are in a state of total shock – firstly about the tragic death of Reeva who we had all got to know well and care for deeply over the last few months,” Arnold Pistorius said on Saturday, speaking to reporters at his home in Pretoria. The statement was later released by Pistorius’ agent.

“All of us saw at firsthand how close she had become to Oscar during that time and how happy they were,” the uncle said in the family’s first on-camera, in-person statement since the incident. “They had plans together and Oscar was happier in his private life than he had been for a long time.”

Prosecutor: 'Blade Runner' Pistorius committed 'premeditated' murder of girlfriend

The family “strongly refutes” any charges of murder against Pistorius, his uncle said. “We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegations and that the state’s own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all.”

An emotional Pistorius, 26, appeared in court on Friday accompanied by several family members. He at times appeared confused and sobbed during the hearing.

“Take it easy. Come, take a seat,” Magistrate Desmond Nair told the athlete, who was born without a fibula in both legs, according to Reuters.

Reeva Steenkamp was model, budding TV star

Pistorius was formally charged on Friday, and is slated to appear for a bail hearing next week. The court rejected an application by the media to broadcast the proceedings.

The charges were “disputed in the strongest terms,” a statement released by Pistorius’ agent after the hearing read: “[Pistorius] has made it very clear that he would like to send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva. He would also like to express his thanks through us today for all the messages of support he has received – but as stated our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family – regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy."

Steenkamp, a model, law graduate, and aspiring television star, was found dead on Valentine’s Day of gunshot wounds in Pistorius’ home in a gated community. The model, 30, was shot four times, and authorities told the Associated Press that a 9mm pistol was recovered at the residence.

Speaking on NBC’s TODAY earlier this week, Steenkamp’s publicist described the incident as a “huge loss for everyone and too shocking for words.”