How to fight back in a London-style terror attack: a former SAS soldier shares his ingenious tips

THROW your beer, lob a chair, fling a hot coffee or use an umbrella as a spear — these are a former Special Forces soldier’s tips for beating a London-style attacker.

• Police name two of the London terrorists
• Aussie nanny still missing after London attack
• Police praised for speedy eight-minute resolution
• Donald Trump’s tweet on London causes uproar

A FORMER British SAS officer has revealed his top tips for surviving an attack by knife wielding terrorists — including arming yourself with a beer.

Ex-soldier John Geddes learned the best techniques to thwart a dangerous situation during his 14-year career in the elite special forces unit.

The father-of-three gave his advice after the London Bridge terror attack that saw three men go on a rampage stabbing revellers at bars and restaurants in Borough Market.

And even though one pub-goer won praise for not wanting to let go of his pint as he ran for cover during the attack, John explained that the man may actually have been protecting himself.

Police advice in the midst of the terrifying attack in London was to run and hide. If you can’t do that, former SAS soldier John Geddes says you should fight back. Picture: Getty Images

Geddes explained: “A pint pot — we all know the damage some idiot in the pub can do with that.

“That’s what people have to do collectively to defeat these perpetrators.

“Cold drinks are good too. Just throw them in his face, especially if they come in a good volume like a beer. Liquid — of any sort — in the face is a big impediment to action.”

People take refuge inside the Fish! restaurant in the Borough Market area of London. Picture: AP

Countless stories of heroism have emerged in the wake of the deadly London attacks, from people using their bodies to barricade pub doors to prevent the knifemen getting in, to journalist and kickboxer Geoff Ho using his kung fu expertise to save a bouncer.

Geddes suggested the best tactic is to team up with others and overpower the attacker as a group.

RELATED: Would you take on a terrorist if faced with one?

RELATED: Everyday heroes hailed in wake of London attacks

Geoff Ho is escorted to an ambulance after his throat was slashed by one of the attackers. Picture: Ayes Gokkaya

People should “become momentarily medieval” and pick up whatever is around and throw it, he said.

“You can only run so far and so fast — and for some people that isn’t an option, so you have to fight.

“What you should do depends on how the situation presents itself but for the normal person taking on a knife with your bare hands they’ve got no chance.

“If you are in a restaurant you’ve got knives, forks, chairs and bottles. Throw them at the attackers and overpower them. They bleed the same as you — they are only human.”

Gerard Vowls described throwing bar stools and glasses at the attackers in a bid to subdue them. Picture: BBC News

Pick up a table with others and throw it at them and follow it up with whatever you club you can find, Geddes said.

“For a moment you have to become a group of football hooligans.

“The very worst thing you can do is hide on the floor in the proximity of the attacker. If that’s what you do then you are going to be stabbed and shot.”

Former paratrooper Geddes has also co-written the book Be A Hero: The Essential Guide to Active Shooter Incidents, which is out later this year. It has a chapter on knife attacks.

British police were on the scene very quickly and all three terrorists had been shot dead within eight minutes. Picture: AP

Police shoot one of the terrorists. Source: BBC

“I heard one example of a man in the London attack talking about how he took them on with bottles and chairs and glasses,” he said.

“I suspect with the number of attackers and the number of people who were attacked, it will have happened more than once. People must have fought back.”

But Geddes advises approaching the terrorist from directly behind and warns you shouldn’t wrap a jacket round your arm for protection because it puts you in a “negative, defensive position”.

Mourners lay flowers at Potters Fields Park in London after a vigil to commemorate the victims of the terror attack. Picture: AFP

John Goodes, a former British SAS soldier, says fighting back could help those caught in a terror situation to survive. Picture: YouTube

From his chapter on knife attacks, he wrote: “When danger threatens, don’t forget a bag is there on your shoulder ready to be deployed.

“Use it to keep a knifeman at bay, or if you come from his ‘six’ or flank, smash him on the head with it.”

“Move side to side as you counter the blows aimed at you.

“Avoid moving backwards because, sooner or later, you are going to fall over something allowing the attacker to come above you and attack.”

Geddes was in the parachute regiment for ten years and then the SAS until he left as a warrant officer in 1998. He now works in private security training.

This story originally appears in The Sun and is reproduced here with permission.