The second suspect in Wednesday’s butchering of a soldier in the Woolwich area of London has been identified as a man of Nigerian descent – contrary to speculations that he might have come from East Africa. The Times of London last night identified the man as Michael Adebowale, 22, from Greenwich.

The first suspect had earlier been identified as Michael Adebolajo, 28, a son of Nigerian immigrants. He had been videoed by witnesses with his hands red with blood following the killing of the soldier, who was named as Drummer Lee Rigby, 25, the father of a two-year-old son.

Both suspects are still in hospital in a stable condition and will be arraigned once they are fit enough to stand trial.

While not much is known about Adebowale’s background, it has been confirmed that Adebolajo was arrested six years ago after being involved in violent protests by extremists outside the Old Bailey. “He was a regular member of a small group of hardcore fanatics who regularly protested alongside some of Britain’s most notorious hate clerics. He was seen preaching anti-Western rhetoric in Woolwich as recently as last week. At one stage he is believed to have tried to travel to Somalia to join the terrorist network Al-Shabaab, but was forced to return to Britain,” said a report in Daily Telegraph.

“Anjem Choudary, the former leader of banned radical group al-Muhajiroun, said Adebolajo regularly attended meetings and demonstrations held by his group and successor organisations.

Omar Bakri Mohammed, a hate preacher banned from Britain, claimed he had converted Adebolajo himself,” the report added.

It described Adebolajo as “the son of devout Christian Nigerian immigrants, who settled in Romford, east London,” adding: “He went to the local school, where he was described by his friends as a ‘regular guy’ until he reached his teens, when his life changed dramatically after he became involved with drugs.

“One friend said: ‘Michael was into his football and was a Spurs supporter. All his friends were white. He was just a normal lad but as he got older he started to go off the rails.

“ ‘He was really intelligent and his parents were desperate for him to do well at school but then he got into smoking weed and also started dealing.’ Another classmate said that Adebolajo, known as ‘Narn’, began to turn violent. ‘[He started] holding knives up to people’s throats, getting their phones etc. He’d show us the phones he’d stolen.’ ”

•Photo, courtesy Daily Telegraph, shows Michael Adebolajo among a group of Islamist extremists who clashed with police outside the Old Bailey in 2006.