The family of a man who died fighting terrorists in the 2017 London Bridge attack have received the backing of the Catholic Church in their bid to make him a saint.
Ignacio Echeverria used his skateboard to intervene when a woman and a uniformed police officer were being attacked by knifemen Rachid Redouane, Youssef Zaghba and Khuram Butt.
The 39-year-old banker, originally from Spain, was one of eight people killed in the attack that took place on the night of 3 June 2017. He was stabbed in the back by Redouane and Zaghba, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Echeverria’s actions – hitting the terrorists with his skateboard – had allowed several people to flee to safety.
Now, his family in Spain are being supported by the Catholic Church to launch an official campaign to have him canonised.
His relatives were first approached by Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, the auxiliary bishop of Madrid, to seek canonisation – The Times reported – after Pope Francis penned an open letter in the wake of the the attack.
The Pope wrote: “The heroic offering of life, suggested and sustained by charity, expresses a true, complete and exemplary imitation of Christ and, therefore, deserves the admiration that the community of the faithful usually reserves for those who have voluntarily accepted martyrdom of blood or have heroically exercised Christian virtues.”
He went on to say that those who “offer their lives voluntarily and freely for others” are worthy of distinction.
Mr Echeverria has received other posthumous awards for his bravery, including a number of honours and medals in Spain and the George Medal that was given to his parents by the Queen.
Up to 10 skateboard parks across Spain, and his former high school in the Madrid region, have been renamed in his honour.
On the night of the attack, Mr Echeverria – who had only lived in London for a year – had been skateboarding in South Bank with friends. He and his friends had been cycling up Borough High Street towards the river.
Meanwhile, three attackers had deliberately driven a Renault van into pedestrians on London Bridge and into railings on Borough High Street, next to the Barrowboy and Banker pub.
The attackers had left the van and had started attacking pedestrians with knives. They had entered the courtyard of a restaurant and had assaulted people there, before continuing south on Borough High Street.
The attackers set upon a number of members of the public and a uniformed police officer. On seeing this, Mr Echeverria got off his bicycle and confronted the attackers.
He used his skateboard as a weapon in a bid to protect the victims of the attack, including the police officer who had been stabbed.
Mr Echeverria suffered a number of injuries when stabbed by one or more attackers. During the attack, he had fallen to the ground. It was found that he rapidly lost consciousness and died within minutes after he was stabbed in his upper back.
The other seven victims who died in the attack were Alexandre Pigeard, Chrissy Archibald, James McMullan, Kirsty Boden, James McMullan, Sara Zelenak, Sebastian Belanger, and Xavier Thomas. More than 40 others were injured.
