Fifteen years ago, Glasgow Airport came face-to-face with a terrorist attack that would thankfully claim no lives except for one of the perpetrators.
It was precisely 3.13pm on June 30, 2007, and 4,000 passengers were queueing for check in at Glasgow International Airport when two men drove a Jeep loaded with gas canisters into the main terminal.
The vehicle crashed into a concrete post at one of the entrances and burst into flames, sending only smoke into the building as emergency services rushed to the scene.
READ MORE: Glasgow Airport attack - the men who tried and failed to bring terror to the city
One of the men then got out the flaming Jeep, himself on fire, when several ordinary citizens intervened.
They included taxi driver Alex McIlveen, who famously kicked one of the terrorists so hard that he broke a tendon in his foot, and holidaymaker Michael Kerr, who opted to run at the attackers and lost several teeth and broke a leg in the process.
And then there was John Smeaton, who would become the world's most famous airport baggage handler following a memorable television interview in the aftermath of the attack.
Though off duty when he heard two explosions, he raced to the scene to tackle the bombers and helped a police officer restrain them after they’d just crashed the burning Jeep into the terminal.
Smoking a cigarette during his break, he saw the two men get out of the burning car and attack a policeman.
“What's the score? I've got to get this sorted,” he said in an interview two days later.
“I thought 'that's not right' and ran over to assist. All that was going through my mind was I've got to help the policeman, I'm not letting these guys get away with this,” he added.
Following the attack, he was was asked to appear at the Edinburgh Film Festival, popped up on the pitch at Ibrox, and joined Richard and Judy on their famed couch too.
Smeaton's classic “have-a-go” attitude was the walking embodiment of the Glaswegian spirit, earning him comparisons to Jack Bauer - the hero of American TV show 24.
And the internet’s response to Glasgow’s saviour was such that it was described as “Smeatomania”.
Asked if he had a message to pass on to the bombers, Smeato simply quipped: “Glasgow doesny accept this, d'you know what I mean?
"This is Glasgow. We'll set about ye.”
Smeaton added: "I got a kick in. Other passengers were getting kicks in. The flames were going in two directions.
“You know when you're younger, you put a can of Lynx [aftershave] on the fire, and it's like a flame thrower.
"Me and other folk were just trying to get the boot in and some other guy banjoed him," he added.
Smeaton was catapulted to glory following the attack, giving interviews all over the shop and appearing on the BBC, ITV and even CNN.
He then went on to write his own newspaper column, was made a guest of honour at the 2007 Labour conference in Bournemouth, and was then awarded a Queen’s Gallantry Medal to boot.
And the Erskine-born superhero even stood in a by-election in Glasgow North East - a bid that prompted a BBC One documentary entitled Make Me an MP.
You might also remember the fundraiser that was started after June 2007 attack - which succeeded in putting no less than 1,000 pints behind the bar at Glasgow Airport for him.
The website - johnsmeaton.com - no longer active, praised Smeaton's efforts.
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“Here's to John. This man shows us that the law-abiding, honest, brave citizen is still very much with us," the site stated.
“Here's to his heroism, his straightforward belief in right and wrong, his support for law and order, and his willingness to give a good kicking to someone richly deserving it.”
Smeato even said after the attack: “If any more extremists are still wanting to rise up and start trouble, know this: We’ll rise right back up against you.
“New York, Madrid, London, Paisley … we’re all in this together and make no mistake, none of us will hold back from putting the boot in,” he added.
Another brother-in-arms was Michael Kerr, who spoke of the incident: “I flew at the guy a few times but he wouldn't go down,” he said.
“Then he punched me so hard he knocked my teeth out and sent my flying so hard I broke my leg.
“I landed next to the burning Jeep and thought it was going to explode. That was when John Smeaton dragged me to safety. He's a hero," Kerr added.
The main suspects behind the Glasgow Airport attack were identified as Bilal Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed.
Ahmed was the owner of the Jeep and died in hospital after sustaining severe burns to 90 per cent of his body. In 2009, Abdullah was sentenced to life imprisonment with a requirement that he spend at least 32 years in jail.
A version of this article was originally published on June 30, 2017.
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