LONDON, May 23: The British government’s emergency committee met on Thursday after two attackers butchered a British soldier in a daylight attack in London that raised fears terrorism had returned to the capital.

Prime Minister David Cameron said there were strong indications it was an act of terrorism, and his top advisers would be examining the potential security implications of the attack, which took place near a military barracks in the Woolwich area of the city.

One of the attackers went on video to explain the crime — shouting political statements, gesturing with bloodied hands and waving a meat cleaver. Police shot and wounded the unidentified assailants and took them into custody.

Police in the county of Lincolnshire, eastern England, said a property was being searched in connection with the attack in Woolwich. Police said a search warrant had been obtained but would not provide details about the search. Police were also scouring the attack site for further clues.

London Mayor Boris Johnson urged the people of the city to remain calm. “Everything I am hearing leads me to think that Londoners can go about their business in the normal way and we are going to bring the killers to justice,” he said.

Britain’s prime minister said there were “strong indications” the attack was a terrorist incident.

“We have suffered these attacks before, we have always beaten them back,” Cameron said. “We will not be cowed, we will never buckle.”

Two UK government officials said the attack seemed to have been ideologically motivated by radical Islam, adding that the assessment was not based solely on video footage of one suspect making political statements against the British government.

Scotland Yard confirmed that counterterrorism officers were leading an investigation into the attack. Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the two men had been arrested and urged Londoners to remain calm. Both men were hospitalised, one in serious condition.

Late on Wednesday, riot police fanned out in Woolwich, the scene of the incident, as about 50 men waving the flag of the far-right English Defence League gathered, singing nationalistic songs and shouting obscenities about Muslims.

Muslim religious groups and charities were quick to condemn the attack and urged police to calm tensions.—AP