"These passers-by have done exactly what they are advised to do, but they have saved lives. " That's what Chris Phillips, a former police officer and anti-terrorism expert, told the BBC on Friday night, after a terrorist attack that killed two and wounded London.
Shortly after the knife attack, videos shared on social networks highlighted the critical role played by many "ordinary Londoners" who went to the forefront to avoid the attacker make extra victims. One of these videos, posted on Twitter, shows half a dozen men laying the suspect on the ground and ripping off his gun.
Two kitchen knives
Thomas Gray, a 24-year-old tour guide, is one of them. He agreed to testify on the ITV News channel :
"There were five guys fighting with another man and stopping him on the ground. I asked what was going on and someone said that the man on the ground had stabbed two women. I saw that he had two kitchen knives with blades about 20 cm long. One in each hand. One of the knives seemed to be attached to his hand with tape. I hit as hard as I could on his other wrist to let go of the knife and as he let go, someone else pushed him away. "
In the picture below, the man holding a long kitchen knife is said to be a British transport agent in civilian clothes, according to the Dailymail, and has just recovered the weapon.
Thomas Gray explains that the police soon arrived at the scene. "The attacker tried to take something from his bag and the police warned us to go away and tell us he had an explosive vest."he explains.
Another fourteen-second video shows three armed policemen moving away from a man lying on the roadway. Two of the policemen point their weapon at the man, who moves slightly. Two gunshots sound soon after and the man stops.
In the press, Mr. Gray assured that he was not "A Londoner who did his part" and then went to the pub to drink a pint "To recover".
A fire extinguisher and a narwhal defense
Other "anonymous heroes" were thanked on social networks. Like this man who was at a conference at Fishmongers' Hall, a historic building (headquarters of an old fish merchant guild) north of the bridge where the attack began. "A guy who was with us at Fishmongers' Hall withdrew a narwhal defense one-and-a-half meters from the wall and came out with to confront the attacker. You can see him standing over the man (with what looks like a white pole) in the video. We tried to help the victims inside, but this man is a hero », greeted Amy Coop on Twitter. On video, he is accompanied by another man armed with a fire extinguisher that he has engaged to hold the attacker at bay.
Yes. This is a chap with a 5ft narwhal tusk, taken from Fishmongers Hall, tackling a terrorist on London Bridge https://t.co/3xROM5XWAW
– SartorialThug (@Sartorial Thug 🍸 (Secretary of State for Bounders))
After the attack, many tributes were paid to these men. "I want to pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery of the passers-by who physically intervened to save the lives of others.said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This country will never be impressed, divided or intimidated "he said to the press.
"What is remarkable in the images we have seen is the breathtaking heroism of members of the public who have literally run to danger, without knowing what lies ahead."also greeted London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
