Tony Long, a former specialist firearms officer, has praised the quick-thinking police who confronted the suspect in the Manchester synagogue attack, calling their actions “exactly what they train for”.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Long said officers made a critical decision to neutralise the threat after identifying what appeared to be an explosive device, but was later revealed not to be.
“As a former specialist firearms officer, I’m just so proud of what they’ve done,” he said.
Speaking to Patrick Christys on GB News, Mr Long said: “Well, obviously they have to assess the situation.
Tony Long said he is so proud of the officers at the attack
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GB NEWS
“They’ve got an intelligence build-up, and what would have been coming over the radio was that there were already victims people who had been run over, perhaps.
“They were then confronted by the suspect. I don’t know exactly what was going through their minds at that stage, because I don’t know whether they immediately recognised what appeared to be a device.
“But they clearly made the decision that he was a threat and engaged appropriately.
“This type of situation is exactly what they train for, and they performed extremely well.
“As a former specialist firearms officer, I’m extremely proud of what they’ve done.”
Patrick Christys asked: “In those situations, do you shoot to kill or to immobilise with the possibility of keeping the person alive?”
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The firearms officer replied: “Once you’ve established that you believe he has an explosive device, you’re effectively taking a critical shot, shooting to neutralise the threat.
“Normally, firearms training teaches you to shoot to stop, aiming for the largest part of the body.
“But if you believe someone has a device that could be triggered, officers are trained to aim for the brain or brain stem, essentially the body’s ‘computer’, to immediately disconnect their ability to trigger the device.”
Two people have died after the attack on the synagogue, with three others still in hospital in a serious condition.
The attacker was shot at the scene by armed police officers
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PA
One sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack, the force said.
The third man later presented himself to hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.
A suspicious device worn by the attacker, who was shot at the scene, has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable.