On this day 15 years ago, Glasgow suffered the first terrorist attack to take place in Scotland in almost two decades.
A vehicle driven by two men was loaded with propane canisters, driven through the doors of Glasgow Airport and set ablaze. The car’s driver was severely burnt, while five members of the public were injured.
When the Jeep failed to explode one of the men (Bilal Abdullah), threw petrol bombs from the passenger seat while the other (Kafeel Ahmed) doused himself in and petrol and set it alight.
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Abdullah got out of the car and began to fight with police, while Ahmed exited the car and ran into the terminal building on fire before being confronted by airport employee John Smeaton. He was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his heroism, and is probably the most well known person to assist in the event.
While the horror incident had Glasgow shaken, it could have been a far worse situation had it not been for the members of the public who assisted in stopping the attackers in their tracks.
Let’s have a look at all of the people who stepped in to assist in the attack.
John Smeaton
John Smeaton, a baggage handler at the airport, was off duty when he saw the incident develop. He watched as the burning jeep drove into the airport entrance, hearing three explosions and ran over to help.
Reportedly, he kicked Ahmed in the groin and shouted: “F****n’ mon, then.”
Ahmed suffered burns over 90% of his body and died later in hospital. During the incident, Smeaton also helped drag Michael Kerr, another man who had intervened, to safety.
In 2011, Smeaton packed up and moved to New York with his American wife Christy.
Michael Kerr
Returning from a holiday with his family, Michael had already collected his car from the long-stay car park before the terror attack began.
While he could’ve kept going and escaped the danger, he ran towards it. He said at the time: “I ran across to him in the back of the Jeep and there were punches exchanged.
“I knew something was wrong so I went for him, it happened in a flash. I got my tooth knocked out, my crown knocked out and my leg was broken.
“I landed next to the burning Jeep and thought it was going to explode, that was when John Smeaton dragged me to safety. He’s a hero.”
Alex McIlveen
A local taxi driver, McIlveen famously kicked the flaming terrorist in the crotch - and has since said the injuries he sustained to his foot have never healed.
He tore a tendon in his foot while attempting to intervene, though told the Daily Record in 2017 that he was ‘glad he stepped in’.
He continued: “You never forget something like that. These were big guys, and they were still full of morphine.
“Whatever we hit them with they didn’t feel it, even the boy on fire. You hit him but all he wanted to do was fight.
“But undoubtedly, I’m glad I stepped in to help. In the heat of the moment nobody knew what these guys were planning on doing, or what weapons they could have been carrying.”
Stephen Clarkson
Heading to the airport to pick up his brother and sister-in-law, Clarkson stepped in and tackled the burning terrorist to the ground.
As he headed to the arrivals hall, the men had just crashed their Jeep through the main entrance of the terminal. Immediately after Stephen managed to tackle Ahmed to the ground, police successfully handcuffed him.
While others involved in the attack went on to appear in television interviews and rose to global prominence at the time, Stephen went back to work the next day.
He didn’t speak publicly for ten weeks after the attack, as he was still grieving the loss of his wife who had recently died of cancer.
He spoke to the Daily Record in 2009: “I’m no hero. I only did what thousands of Scots would have done when hundreds of lives were at risk.
“I hope other would-be terrorists get the message that Scotland will not stand for terrorism.”
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Henry Lambie
Retired firefighter Henry Lambie was working in customer services at Glasgow Airport when the attack happened.
Within seconds, he had grabbed a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put out the blaze in the vehicle - and sprayed it in the face of one of the attackers at the same time.
His actions managed to keep the man subdued while police officers tried to arrest him.
Just hours after the incident, Henry went out with his wife and friends for a meal - saying at the time: “People have asked me if I think I’m a hero, but I don’t think so.
“Heroes are people like soldiers who go to war, knowing what they are getting in to.”
Stewart Ferguson
An off-duty policeman, Ferguson hosed down the suicide bomber only yards from the burning car - which was packed with explosive.
PC Stewart Ferguson was picking up relatives from the airport when he saw the Jeep crash through the terminal, grabbing a fire extinguisher and doing his bit to help without flinching.
He later said: “I knew he was one of the bad guys, but it never entered my mind to walk away because that would have been failing in my duty.
“One of the primary duties of a police officer is to preserve life and it doesn’t matter whose life that is - but I don’t see myself as a hero.”
Michael MacDonald
Michael was half-way through his shift as an airport check-in worker when the attack happened.
He jumped to help police tackle Ahmed after he caught on fire, and successfully assisted in holding down the attacker while he was being handcuffed.
He told the Daily Record: “We heard this bang then smoke started pouring into the terminal building. Everyone just thought it was an accident.
“I then saw this guy shouting and trying to hit anyone coming near him. As soon as I saw him wrestling the copper I knew this was more than an accident, so I ran up and kicked the guy as hard as I could in the hip.”
