Don't mess with the Glaswegians!

The stories are starting to come out about the ordinary people at the Glasgow airport who tackled the terrorists there. One guy, Michael Kerr, without thinking tackled one of the terrorists and, in the ensuing fight, got two of his teeth knocked out and his leg broken. He got knocked down beside the burning car and another man in the airport, John Smeaton and a woman rushed in to pull him away from the fire. According to his mother-in-law, he doesn't regard himself as a hero.

"He's quite a private person.

"He is embarrassed by all this and doesn't think he's a hero. But we do - we are so proud of his bravery.

"It's horrific to think how it could have ended but he's our hero."

'The other guy was going for one of the policemen so I just went for him - it was just instinctive.'

Another hero is a cabbie, Alex McIlveen, who had just dropped off a passenger when he saw the car crash into the barriers and the guys jump out. He didn't think, but rushed to the attack.

Alex was dropping off a fare at the airport when the attack began.

He said: "I noticed a 4x4 sitting in the middle of the road. Then, as my passenger was paying and getting out, the Jeep rammed into the airport entrance right next to us.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"The guy in the passenger seat was wearing a white T-shirt. He got out carrying what looked like a petrol bomb and seconds later the Jeep was in flames.

"Then he kicked and punched a man to the ground before punching a policeman square in the face. That's when I saw red. That sort of thing just isn't on.

"I told my passenger to run for her life, then I went for the man in the T-shirt and managed to skelp him in the face. I followed it up by booting him twice.

"By that time some other people had joined in and it seemed like the T-shirt guy was trying to get back into the Jeep.

"Then the driver got out of the car. He was already in flames. It was obvious he was the real psycho of the pair.

"Someone was hosing him down but the flames seemed to jump up again just as it looked like they had gone out.

"It was obvious the driver wanted into the boot of the Jeep for something and I was worried about what it was. I thought it must be a gun.

"He was going crazy, just lashing out at everyone and babbling p*sh in a foreign language the whole time.

"I've heard people say since that he was shouting 'Allah!' but I didn't hear that. It just sounded like a lot of c**p to me.

"I ran for the guy and punched him twice in the face with pretty good right hooks.

"Then I kicked him with full force right in the balls but he didn't go down. He just kept on babbling his rubbish.

"I couldn't believe that he was still standing. I know I would have been floored by that kind of kick."

Alex continued to take on the man, who was lashing out with his fists. He recalled: "He was a big guy and I'm not really a fighter, but his punches were wild and I managed to dodge them and make some good strikes myself.

"Luckily, more people joined in and we managed to beat the guy down. The police apparently caught the other man.

"I don't think the policeman I saw at the scene drew his baton during the whole thing. He should have given it to me - I'd have leathered those guys with it."

John McClane couldn't have done any better.

I love that Britishism: "That sort of thing just isn't on." McIlveen damaged the tendons in his foot from kicking the terrorist in the crotch. That's quite some kick. His taxi also got a parking ticket while he was down at the police HQ giving a statement and getting patched up. And to top it off, they took his sneakers away. He'd like them back and his ticket fixed up. I presume the citizens of Glasgow will see fit to help him out.