John Smeaton

John Smeaton (born Bishopton, Renfrewshire in 1976 ), also known by the nickname Smeato, is a former baggage handler at Glasgow Airport.

He was invited to appear at the World Trade Center ground zero for the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

He also appeared on Richard & Judy.

He became involved in thwarting the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack.

Smeaton lives in Erskine, Renfrewshire, a town outside the city and near the airport.

Brought up in Erskine, he was educated at Park Mains High School.

Smeaton, a baggage handler, was off duty when he saw the incident start to develop on 30 June 2007.

During his break he observed two men driving a burning jeep filled with highly flammable gas cylinders into the airport entrance.

He heard three explosions and ran over to help.

It was reported that Smeaton shouted "fuckin' mon, then" and kicked Kafeel Ahmed in the groin.

Ahmed suffered burns over 90% of his body and died later in hospital.

During the incident Smeaton also helped drag Michael Kerr, who also intervened in the event, to safety.

Kerr had been left lying with a broken leg beside the burning jeep after also kicking Ahmed.

The incident has been described as inspiring others to take personal initiative and act decisively in a crisis.

Newsagent and former policeman Mohammed Afzah would later cite Smeaton as an inspiration for his facing down and repelling a would-be armed robber.

In late July, Smeaton returned to his old job as a baggage handler at the airport.

Later in the year he accepted a job as head of security at a nearby company.

On 18 December 2007, it was announced that Smeaton was to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his actions; this was presented by the Queen at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 4 March 2008.

Following the attack, Smeaton gave television interviews to the BBC, ITV and CNN which were broadcast worldwide.

The television interviews that brought him to the attention of the world focused on his own reaction to the attack.

A tribute website set up in Smeaton's honour received 500,000 hits in its first 48 hours.

The website urges visitors to buy a pint of beer for him; over 1000 pints were donated within two days.

The BBC reported on 18 July 2007 that John Smeaton has pledged half of the money donated for pints of beer to the veteran's charity Erskine, which cares for former servicemen and women at five homes throughout Scotland.

The balance of the money was to be used to fund a night out for those who also assisted at the incident at Glasgow Airport.

The website also called for Smeaton to make an appearance at the popular Scottish music festival, T in the Park.

The website's creator said: "I watched the footage of John Smeaton and I just thought it was fantastic. He had the kind of unthinking, selfless heroism that most people wished they had."

He was due to take to the stage and perform a rendition of "Take the Power Back" by Rage Against the Machine.

However, T in the Park organiser Geoff Ellis said: "Through his actions at the weekend, John Smeaton absolutely epitomizes the spirit of Scotland that we are always so proud of at T in the Park. However, due to heightened security and an incredibly tight performance schedule on the Main Stage at T in the Park this year, unfortunately we can't allow him to get up on stage".

A Bebo group was also set up in dedication to Smeaton, called the John Smeaton Fan Club.

Over 550 Bebo members had joined the club within 48 hours, and this page also received exposure in the Daily Record.

A Facebook group called the John Smeaton Appreciation Society was also established with over 4,000 members; this refers to Smeaton as: "Glasgow's Jack Bauer"

Smeaton was also the subject of a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal.

In the weeks after the attack, Smeaton made a variety of public appearances and interviews including appearing on the pitch at Ibrox Stadium in front of his boyhood heroes before a Rangers home game.

and meeting Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street.

He also appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In September 2007 he started writing a column for the Scottish edition of The Sun newspaper every Thursday, called 'The Column That Sets Aboot Ye'.

On 12 September 2007 he received an official audience with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at New York City Hall.

On 24 September 2007 he attended the Labour Party Conference and his exploits were referred to by Gordon Brown in his speech.

He received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Smeaton stood as an Independent candidate in the 2009 Glasgow North East by-election.