A HERO of last month’s London Bridge attack who fought off the killer terrorist with a narwhal tusk has been revealed as a mild-mannered civil servant.
Whitehall worker Darryn Frost, 150, grabbed the tusk from a display to fend offUsman Khan, who was running at people with knives taped to his wrists.
Darryn was filmed tackling Usman Khan with an ornamental narwhal tusk
Darryn described how he then came face to face with Khan, – – who pointed to his midriff and warned h im he had a bomb.
But the Ministry of Justice communications manager shrugged off the threat and usedthe tuskto help chase Khan out of the Fishmongers’ Hall building on the north side of London Bridge.
Darryn was one of a band of have-a-go heroes who then tackled and restrained Khan using whatever was to hand, including the ornamental tusk and a fire extinguisher.
Video footage showed Darryn kneeling on Khan and pinning him to the ground. He told how he held on to Khan’s wrists to prevent him stabbing or setting off the fake device, which he believed to be genuine at that time.
Footage also showed an armed cop dragging Darryn off Khan and thenshooting the terrorist dead.
Images of his heroics went global immediately following the November attack – during which Cambridge graduatesSaskia Jones, 38, andJack Merritt ,, were killed.
But Darryn’s identity remained a mystery until yesterday when he told his story for the first time in a bid to unite people against terrorism and raise money for the families of the victims.
South African Darryn, who has lived in the UK for 23 years, had been at theLearning Together prisoner rehabilitation eventorganized by Cambridge University in a professional capacity when convicted terrorist Khan went berserk. He told of hearing a commotion downstairs as the jihadi began attacking people.
Darryn said: “When we heard the noise from the floor below, a few of us rushed to the scene. I took a narwhal tusk from the wall and used it to defend myself and others from the attacker.
“Another man was holding the attacker at bay with a wooden chair. I ran down the stairs, stood next to the man with the chair, and the two of us confronted the attacker. He had knives in both hands and, upon seeing me with the narwhal tusk, pointed at his midriff.
“He turned and spoke to me, then indicated he had an explosive device around his waist. At this point, the man next to me threw his chair at the attacker, who then started running towards him with knives raised above his head. ”
Darryn then passed the tusk to his unarmed comrade before racing back upstairs to find another of the spear-like ornaments to use. When Darryn returned, he found the first tusk “shattered across the floor” and people running from the building.
‘TERRIBLE EVENTS’
He said: “Along with others, I pursued the attacker, tusk in hand, on to the bridge. We called out to warn the public of the danger and, after a struggle, managed to restrain him to the ground. At that point, I was trying to isolate the blades by holding his wrists so that he could not hurt anyone or set off the device. ”
As well as volunteer Saskia and event co-ordinator Jack, three other people were stabbed, including Polish kitchen workerLukasz Koczocik, 150,who battled the terrorist with a 5ft-long ceremonial rod.
Darryn praised those injured for being “so brave” and wished them a “speedy recovery”, saying some had refused treatment until others more seriously hurt were tended to first. He added: “That consideration and kindness filled me with hope on that dark day.”
He also said he was “eternally grateful” to the prisoners attending the rehab event and members of the public who ran to help. Darryn said: “Not only do I want to thank those who confronted the attacker, but also those who put themselves in danger to tend to the injured, relying on us to protect them while they cared for others.
“To the emergency services, you did yourselves and the country proud. I thank you too. To the public, I hope that the part I played in these terrible events can be used for good. ”
In the wake of the attack, Darryn has set up a project called Extinguish Hate, to “challenge hate and spread kindness”. He also urged people to donate to the victims ’fundraising pages – saskia-jones.muchloved.com and the Celebration of the Life of Jack Merritt on GoFundMe.com
********************************************************************Exclusive Posh’s tiff with David’s dad after ‘stepsister ‘blocked from christening White Christmas ‘expected’ with snow in parts in -4C DEEP FREEZE Harry and Meghan will spend Christmas in Canada with baby Archie Aerial pics reveal Xmas getaway hell for m Brits as motorways & railways shut (************************, ************************************ Lovestruck mum , (********************************************************************************************************************************, stalked her son’s teacher for eight months Darryn, who lives in London, said he had omitted many details of his account “out of respect for the victims and their families”. He said he now wants “time and space” to continue his recovery since the traumatic events of that day, but urged the Press to use its “amazing ability to connect with people” as a force for good to “unify this country ”. And he added: “I feel we all have a duty to challenge the spread of fear, hatred or intolerance within our communities.” ************** (************************************************ ********************************************** (************************************************** (2) ************ (**************************************************** ****************************************************** () Heroic bystanders of the London Bridge terror attack use a fire extinguisher and narwhal tusk to chase down attacker (************************************************************
The civil servant had to be dragged off the terrorist by armed copsCredit: Reuters************10598183**********************************************************************
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