The killing of a British soldier on the streets of London in a suspected Islamist attack has shocked the nation. The victim was hit by a car in broad daylight, then hacked to death by two men wielding machetes and knives. Witnesses said the attackers shouted God is Greatest in Arabic as they tried to behead their victim. Police shot and wounded the two suspects whose identities have not yet been released. Residents in the southeast district of Woolwich described the scene. (SOUNDBITE)(English) TENISAN PGBE, WOOLWICH RESIDENT, SAYING: "I saw all these police vehicles, anbulances, and everything come around. A black male was put on the stretcher and the ambulance to the hospital and somebody was lying on the floor - I couldn't really see the other person - and another person was put in the air ambulance." (SOUNDBITE)(English) LAUREN COLLINS, WITNESS, SAYING: "I was on the bus and I seen a body lying in the road which at first I thought was a road traffic collision so I've gotten off the bus and realised that there werea couple of helicopters overhead and there were a lot of police." About 100 supporters of the far-right English Defence League marching near the scene after the attack clashed with police in what appeared to be a backlash. Separetly two men were arrested in connection with separate attacks on mosques outside London. The government says the killing of the soldier appeared to be a terrorist attack.