Terrifying new account of London Bridge terror attack reveals details of heroes’ hand-to-hand combat with Usman Khan
THE boss of Fishmongers' Hall today revealed how heroes bravely took on a knife-wielding terrorist in hand-to-hand combat in a terrifying new account.
Innocent witnesses leaped into action as murderer Usman Khan unleashed his stabbing rampage on London Bridge on Friday - desperately using anything they could grab to stop the 28-year-old in his tracks.
Toby Williamson, the Fishmongers' Hall chief executive, said a kitchen aide, coat check workers and a doorman, along with charity workers all challenged the terrorist who had just killed two people.
Khan, 28, was ultimately shot dead by police after being pinned down by the brave witnesses.
Mr Williamson today said kitchen worker Lukasz was one of the first to run towards danger after he heard a scream while cleaning glasses.
In a terrifying account, he told the BBC: "He gets there on the first floor of the building just behind me and it’s pretty clear that there’s a bad guy.
"He’s got two knives in his hands, there’s blood, there’s screams, there’s chaos.
"Lukasz pulls off the wall this long stick, he charges towards the bad guy and he impacts him on the chest and there’s clearly something here that is protective and it doesn’t make any sort of impact.
"But he’s buying time, he allows others to escape.";
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Recounting the terror attack, he said Lukasz was then locked in "one-on-one straight combat" with the terrorist for at least a minute.
He said: "This guy, who we now know by the name of Khan, he works his way up Lukasz’s pole, slashing with this knife and he takes five wounds to his left side."
Mr Williamson said that as Lukasz was weakened by his horrific injuries, two others rushed in with a fire extinguisher and an animal tusk that had been ripped from the wall.
Khan’s got two knives in his hands, there’s blood, there’s screams, there’s chaos
Toby Williamson,
Describing the chaotic scenes, he said Khan realised he was outnumbered - running down the main stairs to the reception.
There, brave workers including two girls who worked at the coat check, Alla and Sandra, the doorman called Gareth and receptionist Dawn all tried to stop him from getting out onto the street as they alerted authorities.
He said: "Eventually it all comes to a great sort of showdown in the entrance hall.
"Lukasz is back in at this point, leading the charge.";
At this point, he said the centre's maintenance man, Andy - who had previously worked as a policeman - was stabbed in the chest as he tried to stop him.
He said: "The doors opened, out the terrorist falls and the first one out after him is Lukasz, shouting at everyone to get out of the way, get back.
"But I tell you what, members of the public they just don’t do that nowadays - they do what they’re needed to do, they join in."
It was then that armed police arrived - shooting Khan after he was pinned to the ground by brave witnesses despite him wearing a suicide vest, since found to be fake.
Since the horrific attack, a spokesman for the ruling United Poland party has said they hope to award Lukasz with a medal for his bravery.
Cambridge graduate Jack Merritt, a 25-year-old course coordinator, was killed in the terror attack, along with Saskia Jones, 23.
Jack's dad David has shared posts calling Boris Johnson's response to the murders "beyond disgusting".
He condemned the prime minister and Priti Patel, the home secretary, for using the attack as justification for a series of tougher criminal policies.
Mr Merritt suggested the Tories were using his son's death to promote "vile propaganda" and shared a tweet accusing Mr Johnson of trying to "make political gain from people's death in a terror incident".
Three people, one man and two women, were rushed to hospital on Friday night - and one was in critical condition, one was stable and a third had less serious injuries.
Lukasz is one of several bystanders who risked their lives to bring down the London Bridge terrorist.
Another hero is a kitchen porter named only as Mohammed who is said to have tackled Khan on his lunch break before going back to wash dishes.
Two other men who stepped up to stop the attacker were fearless tour guides Thomas Gray, 24, and Stevie Hurst who jumped out of their car to help.
The staff have been asked not to say too much, but I have his number and he’s still in hospital.
Lukasz' work-mate
Prisoner James Ford, 42, helped take down Khan while he was on day release.
Ford murdered a 21-year-old disabled girl in 2004 and was at an event about rehabilitating criminals when he stepped in.
A British Transport police officer in plain clothes bravely picked up one of the knives from the floor and carried it away from the attacker.
Khan, from Staffordshire, was freed last December and police said he was "known to authorities" after he was convicted in 2012 for terror offences.
He was banned from entering London but had a one-day exemption to attend an ex-convict event, it emerged last night.
Khan, who was wearing a monitoring tag during the attack, was attending an event on Friday afternoon at Fishmongers' Hall called ‘Learning Together’.
The killer "hoodwinked" authorities by travelling to the prisoner rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers' Hall where he launched his horror rampage.
The Sun on Sunday revealed Khan was given “special permission” to attend the Cambridge University-run event.
The callous killer attended the morning session before returning after lunch to launch his rampage armed with two knives and a fake explosive vest.
Haunting pictures emerged of delegates inside the hall an hour before the carnage. Khan was said to be in the room at the time.
He is the first freed terrorist to launch an attack in this country.
The Parole Board said in a statement yesterday they had "no involvement" in Khan's release.
It added it he appeared "to have been released automatically on licence (as required by law), without ever being referred to the Board".
