Stephen Clarkson, the passer-by who waded in and knocked down one of the two men who attacked Glasgow Airport with a burning car today, is a hero of our times.
Like the others who helped him restrain the burning man who was attacking police at the airport terminal entrance, Mr Clarkson displayed the utmost courage by tackling the two terrorists while their Jeep Cherokee burned only a few yards away.
For all that he or any of us knew, that car could have been loaded with gas cylinders, petrol cans and nails, just as the two Mercedes car bombs in Haymarket had been only the day before.
Anyone who had seen the car ablaze and simply run as fast and as far as they could from the scene would have been forgiven for not wanting to linger in the immediate vicinity of what could have been a massive car bomb.
But Mr Clarkson, and his fellow heroes, showed no concern for their own safety in this incredibly perilous situation and instead stood their ground to try to stop the two terrorists completing whatever their plan was.
There is still debate at time of writing (7.30pm) as to whether it was a terrorist incident, but eyewitnesses did report that the two attackers were shouting the word Allah repeatedly. A bit of a giveaway...
Perhaps new Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has already shown he wants to rule in a very different way to his predecesor Tony Blair, might take a lead on this and introduce immediate honours for people like Mr Clarkson whose selfless heroism and initiative have helped protect and preserve our national security.
If Mr Clarkson were knighted tomorrow, it would not be a day too soon. For if anyone deserved to be honoured, Sir Stephen Clarkson (as I shall think of him) is one of them.
Jon McKnight
Author of Sort The Bastards!
