Chilling footage shows the moment unarmed police officers came face to face with a trio of blood-soaked terrorist killers wearing suicide vests.
In the fear and confusion of the London Bridge terror attack, PC Bartek Tchorzewski, 36, ran towards Khuram Shazad Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba as they rampaged through Borough Market.
He could see the bloodied knives taped into their hands and what looked like suicide vests strapped across their chests, but he ran to within two metres of the killers in an attempt to distract them and save innocent lives.
The Islamist fanatics had already mown down innocent pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed diners in the market before being cornered by police.
The footage was released at the conclusion of the inquest, at which the jury concluded that the London Bridge terrorists were lawfully shot dead by police after they ‘ignored clear warning shouts’.
the Prime Minister and the Met Police Commissioner both commended the actions of the brave officers, who were given medals for their distinguished service.
The killers advanced on the unarmed police officers, seemingly wearing suicide vests
PC Bartosz ‘Bartek’ Tchorzewski had already changed at the end of his shift but ran to the scene and confronted the armed terrorists who were wearing what looked like suicide vests
Khuram Shazad Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba. A jury has concluded that the London Bridge terrorists were lawfully shot dead by police after they ‘ignored clear warning shouts
PC Sam Balfour, 25, and PC Bartek Tchorzewski, 36, had no way of knowing whether they were about to be blown up when they took the decision to follow the three attackers.
But by following the killers, they helped warn ‘oblivious’ members of the public and alert armed officers by shouting ‘they’re there, shoot them’.
the pair ran towards Borough Market as a stream of terrified people ran the other way.
Describing their first sighting of the attackers, PC Balfour said: ‘They were already stood there, three of them stood in a line holding knives. One of them was raising it above his head.
‘They were shouting at us straight away. I drew my baton and got on the radio to tell everyone where they were.’
PC Tchorzewski noticed a knife covered in blood before the attackers spotted them and started shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.
PC Balfour went on: ‘Someone shouted ‘they’ve got bombs’ so although I do not remember looking at their bomb vests I was very aware that was something they had.’
His colleague added: ‘I was focused on that vest. Then we straight away see he has got a vest or suicide belt with three cylinders attached to it. ‘
‘Just before they started to go towards us there was a brief amount of pause. That kind of second can stretch into eternity.’
Unarmed and PC Bartek Tchorzewski, in foreground, ran to witho
The London Bridge inquest heard of the heroism of PC Bartosz ‘Bartek’ Tchorzewski and PC Sam Balfour
The attackers were killed by armed police near the Wheatsheaf pub in Borough Market
The friends from Peckham Police Station had just been finishing their shift when police received multiple reports of casualties on London Bridge. they turned to one another and said ‘yeah we need to go to that’, Balfour said.
Having been briefed on terror tactics involving vehicle and knives, they quickly realised the incident ‘ticked every box’, he said.
Tchorzewski said: ‘To be honest we were just thinking about stopping them.
‘Assume the worst and you try to think what you may encounter and what we will do but to be honest nothing can prepare you for that. No briefings… to face something like that in real life, it’s a totally different experience.’
The victims of the attack (Top, from left) Christine Archibald, James McMullan, Alexandre Pigeard, Sebastien Belanger, (bottom, from left) Kirsty Boden, Sara Zelenak, Xavier Thomas and Ignacio Echeverria
Paramedics attend injured victims of the London Bridge terror attack in 2017
Unarmed officer leapt to handcuff terrorist he thought was wearing a suicide vest
A police officer has told how he took a ‘split second decision’ to stop one of the London Bridge terrorists from detonating a bomb.
PC Iian Rae had no idea that Rachid Redouane’s suicide belt was not real when he stepped in to handcuff him on the ground on the night of June 3 2017.
The 51-year-old officer, who was also at the scene of the 7/7 Tube and bus London bombing in 2005, said his only thought was to save lives.
Speaking at the conclusion of the London Bridge inquest, he said: ‘It’s only when you sit back and try to process what you have done you think what was it – stupidity or bravery? Too close.
‘But I had one thought and that was people’s lives needed to be saved. If they were real we are in proper trouble.’
After dealing with a pub fight PC Rae heard reports of pedestrians being run over by a van on London Bridge.
After running through the melee at the scene, he said, ‘We came across three people who turned to face us.
‘They had their arms raised and we could see a large knife in one hand and what appeared to be bottles strapped to their waists.
‘They came towards us and I had to turn and run because at that point I was so frightened.
‘It’s only when I was running back that the penny dropped that this is a terrorist attack.’
But armed with only a baton he went back into the market.
He said: ‘There was only myself and my colleagues. My thoughts are I have to disrupt what they are doing and that was the sole purpose.’
After gun shots were fired he found a colleague handcuffing a fallen suspect.
‘I have gone over there to assist him and as I have done so he looked over and said ‘there’s two others there – handcuff them’,’ he said.
‘So I turned round and I could see two people lying across the road from the Wheatsheaf.
‘The one on the right was not moving and there was a lot of blood coming from his body. That person’s not a threat.
‘The gentleman to the left was moving. His arms and legs were moving and I knew he had an IED (improvised explosive device) strapped to him.
‘I did not know they were fake. I had to make a split-second decision – if I don’t go and do something there is going to be a lot more lives lost.
‘I had to handcuff him and stop him from detonating that device, if they were real or not.
‘As I went over there to handcuff that person I was shouted at by firearms officers. They have told me to get out and I have taken their advice and I ran.’
Afterwards, he rang his wife to say he was was alive and would se eher the next day.
He said: ‘I felt a bit tearful at that point because it had only just sunk in then what happened. Then I went back to the job in hand.’
He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service but said he would give it back if just one more person could have been saved.
Upon confronting the killers, and not knowing whether the suicide vests were real of fakes, they took the initial decision to withdraw.
Balfour said: ‘Up until that point I have been trying to get onto the radio to circulate their location. I knew there was going to be firearms officers coming to Borough Market but they would not see us on Middle Road.
‘My hope was we might be able to flag down firearms officers and point them in the right direction but I was aware going back towards Bedale Street they were running towards us. ‘
PC Balfour turned around ‘expecting to have a fight’ only to find the knifemen had stopped following them, he said.
PC Tchorzewski said it was pointless to wonder what they were thinking because they had been ‘brainwashed’.
In spite of the danger, the pair decided to run after the terrorists and divert them from the public until firearms officers arrived.
PC Tchorzewski explained: ‘We are police officers so we have got to do something, at least we have to know where they are.
‘When you feel like your life is in danger you can run fast. If they run towards us with the intention to explode we can run as well.’
PC Balfour added: ‘I was just thinking we needed to circulate where they are. It’s no good not having any eyes on them so we followed them back into the market down Middle Road, not quite sure where they have gone.
‘I was quite aware walking down they could spring out at us at any second.’
PC Tchorzewski described how they ran and ‘sneaked round corners’ as they followed the attackers.
As they reached Stoney Street, they saw a man on his mobile phone completely ‘oblivious’ to the danger and began screaming at him to run away.
‘We started to run towards them. I did not know what we could do, distract them, kick them away, whatever.
‘We saw three ARVs (Armed Response Vehicles) full of armed officers. Then we stepped back. If we jumped on them we are in the line of fire and not helping at all, ‘ PC Tchorzewski said.
PC Balfour said they tried to distract the terrorists by shouting and swearing at them as more members of the public lobbed street furniture at them.
He said: ‘Within a couple of seconds we saw the blue light on the firearms unit coming round the corner. The attacker I was looking at stood up, turned towards that to face off the firearms officer. I remember thinking ‘I’m going to get shot’ because I was stood there perfectly in line.
‘We started to shout ‘that’s them. that’s them’ pointing out those terrorists, ‘shoot them’.
‘There was no time to shout these are terrorists, they may have suicide belts, they have knives, so we have to keep it short, ‘that’s them’.’
Just before they opened fire, PC Balfour dived out of the way and considered himself ‘lucky’ he was not shot or hit by shrapnel.
He said: ‘I remember thinking ‘that’s a close one’. I started shouting at members of the public to stop filming and to get away, get somewhere safe.’
The graphic above shows the various points in the London Bridge and the surrounding areas which were affected
Theresa May praises officers and public
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘Today’s inquest verdicts are an opportunity to pay tribute to the police officers, those off duty and the many members of the public who bravely confronted the attackers and showed unstinting courage in the face of such danger and terror.
‘The new footage of events is nothing if not testament to that.
‘Tragically eight people were killed and another 48 were injured but, as we have seen, had it not been for the professionalism, speed and bravery of those who responded and defended themselves and others, many more could have suffered.
‘Our police and security services work tirelessly every day to keep us safe and when they are called upon in the most difficult of moments their skill and fortitude must be commended.’
He said it would have been ‘obvious’ to the armed police who the attackers were, not just because they were holding knives but also their ‘demeanour’.
The pair, who were awarded the Queen’s Police Medal, described a ‘sea of blue light’ with victims and walking wounded around the popular tourist spot.
PC Tchorzewski said: ‘You just see victims everywhere and you can see the scale of this attack. Then I walked past the van they used and I saw Molotov cocktails.
‘You don’t become a police officer thinking you may come across a terrorist attack. It’s weird to say the least.’
The attack on June 3, 2017, left eight people dead and 48 injured.
Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were all killed in the attack.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said outside court: ‘My thoughts and those of the entire police family are with all of the victims who have suffered,’ she said.
‘There is no greater responsibility for an officer than having to make the spilt second decision whether or not to use lethal force.
‘These events showed us the very worst of humanity but it also showed us the very best as well.’
City of London Police Commander Karen Baxter said: ‘Three armed officers from City of London were the first to confront them.
‘Arriving 10 minutes after the first 999 call they stopped them within 10 seconds.
‘Despite having stopped the attackers they still believed the presence of explosive devices presented a threat to themselves and to the public.
‘Their courage is without question remarkable.
‘They put themselves in danger to protect and preserve life, a principle at the very heart of policing.’
