TWO sisters dating the crazed thugs who killed and tried to behead soldier Lee Rigby have been arrested in police raids.
Danielle Thomas, 31, and 29-year-old Rikki Thomas were held by armed cops on Thursday.
Sources said they had been seeing fanatics Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale — and were pulled in for questioning when cops realised their close links to the men. Both women were quizzed for hours at London police stations.
But last night detectives released them without charge after ruling they had no involvement in Wednesday’s slaughter of Fusilier Lee in Woolwich, South East London.
Yesterday family sources said Rikki had converted to Islam in the past two years, changing to a Muslim name and wearing flowing robes.
One revealed that both Adebolajo, 28, and 22-year-old Adebowale — shot and wounded by police at the scene of the killing — had regularly visited the Thomas family home during the months before Lee’s murder.
Yet they insisted neither sister was involved.
A source said: “Rikki and Danielle come from a very close Christian family and there is no way they would have anything to do with any of this.
“Rikki converted to Islam in recent years after feeling she had a calling in that direction.
“It’s not something the family have necessarily found easy to deal with, but she’s no radical and she’s very sensible.”
Last night the sisters’ older brother Nathan Thomas, 38, said: “It’s been a really tough time — especially on my family.
“We don’t want to say anything at the moment.”
Officers removed a cordon around the women’s home on a Greenwich estate at lunchtime.
A 29-year-old man who was also arrested in the swoops is unrelated to the sisters and remained in custody last night.
Yesterday police were seen taking bags filled with video cassettes from the flat of Adebowale’s natural father Adeniyi in Holloway, North London.
Cops are still waiting to quiz Adebowale and Adebolajo — seen soaked in blood after the Woolwich killing. Both were under armed guard in hospital.