Journalist Injured In London Bridge Attack Tells How He Confronted Terrorists
5 July 2017, 09:54 | Updated: 5 July 2017, 14:29
Geoff Ho was stabbed in the neck after confronting terrorists. He says being told they had been shot were “the best words I’ve heard in my life”.
Geoff had finished his job as the business editor at the Sunday Express late that afternoon on June 3rd and headed to nearby Borough area for his regular post-work drink.
When the terrorist attack happened Geoff found himself in Black and Blue, which the attackers went in to.
Stuck in the building with them, he decided he had to act.
“I knew that unless I did something, the terrorists would just go on a killing spree and get to everyone.”
Against three people with knifes he was heavily outnumbered, but he did what he could.
“I just tried to keep them talking for as long as possible because if they keep talking they're not stabbing anyone or exploding.”
Despite his best efforts though they still attacked him.
“Eventually though I may have said 'no' one time too many and then that's when they actually came at me and they got me with the first strike to the throat. I tried to parry it and thankfully they didn't get any of the vital veins and arteries, they just got my Adam's apple.
“Then after that they tried to stab me in the stomach repeatedly, I managed to dodge those blows.”
Geoff tried to fight back and attackers left him alone, moving on. After this he and his friend made their way to the staff room where they called the police.
After they arrived they took Geoff and the other people in the establishment to a safer place. Around this time the police took action against the attackers.
“It didn't even register to be perfectly honest at first, I heard what sounded like bursts of gunfire. And to be perfectly honest we were just concerned about getting to safety at that point.”
As he was taken to safety though he was thinking clearly and one thought in particular was forefront in his mind.
“I was really glad when we were being taken over the bridge.
“I was saying to the police officer who was escorting us over please make sure SEO19, the armed police division, has to get them. And he went 'don't worry we got them', and those are the best words I've heard in my life.”
Geoff spent 12 days in hospital and is still recovering from the attack, although he’s been told his voice will never likely fully recover. He hopes to return to his job soon.
The incident is still fairly fresh and Geoff hasn’t looked at too much of the coverage of the attack. But there’s one thing that he says has given him some satisfaction.
“When I read that the three attackers, three terrorists, had been shot, to this day, it still feels good.”
He told Nick Ferrari that he is receiving counselling and hopes to go back to work soon. However, the mental impact of the attack lingers with him.
In the full interview, which you can watch below, he explains how the night comes to him in flashbacks: "Sometimes I'll be preparing a salad, and I can see the blood on my hands."
More to follow…
