Glasgow Airport: Hero who helped foil terror attack at UK airport by tackling suicide bomber dies after cancer battle
A Glasgow man who helped foil a terror attack at Glasgow Airport by tacking a suicide bomber has died.
Stephen Clarkson brought down Kafeel Ahmed, 28, after he set himself on fire during an attack on the transport hub on June 30, 2007. The builder, who had been picking up relatives from their holiday, was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his courage.
He stopped Ahmed from opening a Jeep’s boot crammed with gas cylinders and petrol cans which had crashed into an airport terminal. Speaking about the attack, he previously told the Record: "The burned man came towards me quite fast and I thought, 'I've got to stop him'. I took two steps towards him and he never flinched so I just ran at him and basically mowed him down.
"I knew I had to do it. My gut instinct was that he was a terrorist and had to be stopped."
He added: “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.”
Paisley doctor Bilal Abdullah, then 44, was caged for at least 32 years in 2008 after being convicted of conspiracy to murder as part of the attack. Civilians Stephen Clarkson, Michael Kerr, Henry Lambie, Michael McDonald, John Smeaton and Alex McIlveen were all honoured for their actions during the attack.
It is understood that Stephen Clarkson was diagnosed with bile duct cancer cholangiocarcinoma, which affects six in every 100,000 people in the UK. His brother told how the 59-year-old driveway fitter always put others first and was known for his 'wicked sense' of humour.