GLASGOW AIRPORT TERROR ATTACK, 2007

IT was a busy but routine day at the airport — thousands of holidaymakers jetting in and out of Scotland.

Around 3.15 pm on Saturday June 30,2007, a Jeep, already on fire, crashed into the main terminal building. Despite the fact the airport was so busy, only one person died — terrorist Kafeel Ahmed (below).

Sweeney was off duty — at the cinema with his nine-year-old son — but headed straight for the airport as soon as he heard of the incident. He was later criticised in Press reports for taking his son with him.

AS Sweeney heard the news, he left the cinema and tried desperately to get hold of someone to look after Ryan. He couldn’t— and made the decision to take him to the airport.

“First terrorist attack in Scotland — and I was at the pictures watching Shrek! Off duty,” he says. “I got a lot of stick for taking Ryan with me. I was separated from my wife, I tried to get hold of her and couldn’t. I phoned my mum, she didn’t answer. Then a senior officer called me and I informed him of the situation and that I’d need assistance.”

Sweeney faced criticism that he’d somehow put Ryan in danger and false reports that Ryan wiped a “masterplan” on a whiteboard of how to deal with the unfolding drama.

“I dote on my children,” he says. “I’d never put my son at risk.”

So what about those reports that he wiped plans?

He roars with laughter. “Absolute rubbish! No he didn’t, poor boy,” he says. “I think I managed to protect him from the Press. But you know — it could have gone the other way.”

Back to the incident. The fire spread to the canopy outside. His firefighters tackled the blaze as passengers left the airport and Sweeney had one big worry — a secondary attack.

“There was a car park behind us with something like 1,000 cars. There was a fear, you know . . . get 120 firefighters and cops in one area and then bang . . .

“I thought we’d been sucked in,” he said. “We were fortunate. And in fairness the police checked out the cars quickly. Within 90 minutes we knew it was OK.”

Did the incident have a surreal feel — one minute you’re in the cinema, the next racing to a terrorist attack?

“It kind of did, yes. As I was driving down the slip road to the first cordon, there were people walking up the hard shoulder of the motorway with suitcases.

“I’ve never seen that before or since.”

Was he confident he’d get the fire under control?

“I never felt we wouldn’t get it under control. But I wasn’t sure we’d get it under control in time before the Jeep’s explosive content detonated.”

We all remember the burning Jeep. But there was a whole lot more going on.

“All the public could see was the Jeep on fire.

“Inside, though, we had

20 firefighters between the ground and first floors fighting a very serious fire. No one saw that. And behind the terminal there were dozens of aircraft, with thousands of passengers, which had just landed or were waiting to take off. We had to make sure we could get them to safety.”

As his firefighters fought the blaze, Sweeney went inside.

“I had to make sure they were OK and weren’t in danger from detonation,” he says.

It was while he was in there he had an odd moment.

“As I went to go upstairs, there were hundreds of bags across the terminal building. People had left them when they were told to run.

“They were in little organised stacks, straight back from the desks.

“I got down low because there was a lot of smoke. The sprinklers were activated, so it was pouring with ‘rain’ and as I got through to the other end a tannoy announcement came on.

“It said: ‘ Please remove all baggage from the terminal hall. Any baggage that is not removed might be removed and destroyed.’ Just a standard announcement. I had a moment, you know, I just looked at those bags and I thought, how ironic is that.”

While the world watched and speculated, Strathclyde’s finest took it in their stride.

“One of my guys said, look boss, there’s nothing much to this, it’s just a car fire!” he laughs. “There was a lot more to it. There were

hundreds of people involved — our staff, Strathclyde Police, airport fire brigade, airport security. But all out of sight.”

Were any mistakes made?

“On reflection the evacuation could have been better and faster. But an airport’s like a village — it’s really hard to get everyone out.” As the man himself says, he’s his own harshest critic.

Did he breathe a sigh of relief when it was all over?

“Absolutely. The Jeep was loaded with gas and fuel. It was in flames but didn’t explode. If the terrorists had got it right and it had exploded, it would have been disastrous.

“The big, important thing for us was to get Terminal 2 open within 24 hours. That was an early discussion we had within three or four hours of the attack. And it was absolutely the right thing, gave out the right message.

“’Glasgow Airport has been subject to an Al Qaeda attack, No problem. The airport’s open. Business as usual!’

“That’s probably a lesson other airports could learn. If you can get one flight out, after that you’re telling the terrorists — you’re not going to terrorise us.”

That no other lives were lost is surely something of a miracle. Despite the criticism aimed at him, Sweeney surely deserves plaudits for that.