TRUE GRIT BRITS
HEROIC TRIO TAKE DOWN KILLER KNIFEMAN:
THREE heroic Brits took down a knifeman on a stabbing spree in Sydney.
Muay Thai boxing champion Luke O’Shaughnessy, his ex-Bury footballer brother Paul and hardman pal Lee Cuthbert tackled him to the ground.
One woman was killed as the knife-wielding attacker, named as Mert Ney, rampaged through the city centre reportedly screaming “Allahu Akbar” and stabbed another pedestrian.
But he was stopped after the brave Brits chased after him and held his head down with a milk crate until police arrived.
They were praised last night for their quick-thinking actions and bravery, but modestly insisted they are not heroes.
The brothers, from Bury in Greater Manchester, who run digital talent agency MAP Talent, were in their fourth-floor office when the drama unfolded at around 3.15pm local time.
They spotted the man holding a large blade running through the streets, so raced downstairs and outside.
Peaky Blinders fan Luke, 30, said: “I just wanted to make sure he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
“We’ve talked before about what we would do when we hear about these things happening around the world. We’re the kind of guys who ask questions later and act on instinct.
“If it happened again I would do it again and act quicker.”
He added: “I heard a massive commotion outside.
“I shouted: ‘Paul, let’s go, there’s a man with a knife.’
“As we came down in the lift I said: ‘Seriously, he’s covered in blood.’
“We came out onto King Street and ran from there all the way round trying to chase him. Eventually we caught up with him and I just apprehended him and pinned him down.
“He had a knife. It was next to him covered in blood.”
Other passers-by stopped to help, including two firefighters.
Paul, 37, who was a midfielder with Bury between 1999 and 2004, said: “I didn’t even think about it. I just thought, ‘Is my brother going to be OK?’ as we ran towards him. Our value brothers is we are protectors.”
The dad-of-two, who has lived in Sydney for 11 years, added: “The thing I will reflect on is that I’ve given something back today by doing what’s right, and that the British can do Britain proud by coming to another country and doing what they can to help.”
Lee said: “We had a window open to get some air in and then we just heard the commotion.
“We looked out and saw him on top of a car, wielding a knife, and we all just kind of reacted from there.
“We just tried to get down as quick as we could.
“We all kind of chased, worked together, but it was Luke who was the real hero.
“He pursued him the hardest and managed to get a grip of him.”
The suspect, 21, from Maryong in New South Wales, reportedly escaped from a mental health facility and had a history of problems.
Officers said he has no known links to terrorism, although he had a USB stick with details of white supremacist attacks.