THE DAY TERROR CAME TO GLASGOW A decade on from airport attack that shook the nation, we ask: how safe is Scotland now?
IT was the moment holiday joy turned to panic and fear.
On Friday it will be exactly 10 years since the Glasgow Airport attack.
A Jeep laden with propane gas canisters was rammed into the building, causing a huge fireball.
In the decade since, the terror landscape has changed beyond recognition.
Here, the brave taxi driver who confronted the terrorists that June day reveals his concerns for his grandkids, as they grow up in a world where fear has become the new norm for millions.
We also talk to a security specialist who assesses the chances of another Scottish attack, while a psychologist looks at how people respond to trauma. HE was hailed one of the heroes of the Glasgow Airport terror attack, helping to save many lives.
Fearless cabbie Alex McIlveen tore a tendon in his foot when he kicked burning bomber Kafeel Ahmed in the groin.
He was one of seven people to receive bravery awards following the drama on June 30, 2007, while baggage handler John Smeaton got the Queen’s Gallantry Medal.
But 10 years on, modest Alex, 55, says it wasn’t a big deal – though he might now run away if faced head-on with another terrorist attack.
“I wasn’t so much a hero as foolish,” the father of two told The Sunday Post.
“When I see what’s happening now in terms of terrorist attacks and look back, I do wonder: ‘ What was I thinking?’
“But I just did what anyone would. If it hadn’t been me who stepped in, it would have been someone else.
“Faced with another terrorist attack now, I honestly don’t know what I’d do.
“If I had my sensible head on, I’d probably run in the opposite direction!
“Who knows though? I tend to act first and think later, so I’d probably end up in the thick of it.” Alex, from Drumchapel, doesn’t think much about the events of 10 years ago unless questioned by passengers who recognise him. But he’ll certainly never forget it.
The grandfather of two said: “It’s a scary world we live in and I’m frightened for my kids and my grandkids.
“My kids used to be safe playing in the street, but we don’t let the grandkids out of the door.
“We need to accept that terrorists aren’t going to go away. In the last 10 years things have only got worse. But we still need to live our lives and try to get over the fear.”
Alex had just arrived at the airport to drop off a fare when he saw terrorists Bilal Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed drive a Cherokee Jeep into the terminal.
“I had a woman in the car who was picking up her son from a flight from Barcelona.
“She was just paying and getting out when I saw the Jeep drive into the barriers at the front of the building.
“I knew right away what was happening. I told her to run for her life – and I jumped out of the taxi.
“I acted so quickly, I didn’t really give the consequences much thought.”
Alex punched Jeep passenger Ahmed on the face and kicked him twice. Then he went after driver Abdullah.
“I thought he might be trying to get a gun so I punched him in the face.”
Watching coverage of the recent attacks in Manchester and London brought the memories flooding back.
“Glasgow was a drop in the ocean,” he said. “Nobody was badly hurt that day, nobody died. When you think that it was one of the busiest days in the airport with about 20 or 30,000 people passing through the terminal, it hits home just how serious it could have been.
“If me and all the other guys just stood by and watched, you never know what might have happened. It could have been a lot worse. But we did what we did because someone had to.
“Things are better now with much better security at the airport.
“But if a terrorist is determined enough, I reckon they would find a way.”
Alex’s sense of humour has helped him keep things in perspective.
“I’m still getting over the £30 parking ticket I found when I went to pick my car up at the airport. Ten years is a long time, but it will take a bit longer to forget that!”
HERO CABBIE
Alex McIlveen
‘ It’s a scary world. I’m frightened for my grandkids