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UK Papers Are Going After Facebook As Lee Rigby's Family Accuses It Of Having 'Blood On Its Hands'

Britain's press corps have rounded on Facebook after allegations that the social network failed to report a key conversation on the platform in which one of Lee Rigby's killers, Michael Adebowale, threatened to "murder a soldier."

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The exchange with an unidentified individual identified by the codename FOXTROT was highlighted in the Intelligence and Security Committee's report on Rigby's murder, released Tuesday, as the key piece of evidence that could have averted the tragedy. The report says:

Sun cover
The Sun

Adebowale's expressed intention to murder a soldier was highly significant. If Adebowale's exchange with FOXTROT had been seen by MI5 at the time, then we believe that the investigation would have increased to Priority 1, unlocking all the extra resources this would have entailed. This is the single issue which — had it been known at the time — might have enabled MI5 to prevent the attack.

Although the platform on which the exchange happened was missing from the report, and the transcript of the exchange redacted, The Guardian alleged on Tuesday that the unnamed internet company was Facebook.

Here is how the morning papers covered the story:

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The Sun quoted the Rigby family as saying that the site had "blood on its hands"

Meanwhile the Daily Mail led with "Facebook Kept Quiet About Rigby's Killer's Plotting"

Elsewhere, the Telegraph cited Prime Minister David Cameron's comment that the failure to report the exchange amounted to a "lack of moral responsibility"


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