BRITISH foreign affairs minister Boris Johnson has praised Spanish terror attack hero for his 'bravery' and 'courage' which cost him his life when he took on knife-men in London's Borough Market.
Johnson, upon arriving at the Council of European Union Foreign Ministers – due to take place today (Tuesday) in Luxembourg – said this would be 'the first chance' the UK government had to 'speak with its associates' following the London Bridge and Borough Market attack.
The head of diplomatic relations for Britain recalled that the majority of victims, both the dead and the injured, were 'from other European countries', such as Poles and French, 'including a very brave and courageous Spaniard', in reference to Ignacio Echeverría, 39.
Echeverría, an analyst at HSBC in the UK capital, where his sister Isabel also lives, was on the missing list for four days after the terror attack on June 3.
He had been seen by his friends jumping off his bike and beating a terrorist with his skateboard to prevent him carrying out further knife attacks, helping a policeman to restrain him until backup arrived.
Isabel attempted, without success, to trace him in all London's hospitals, but none of them would allow her in or give her any information.
It took a whole four days for British authorities to confirm Ignacio's death and the demise of another seven people, who included a 21-year-old au pair and a nurse aged 28, both from Australia; two Brits, a 32-year-old man from Hackney and a young woman who died in her fiancé's arms; and two French nationals on holiday.
Echeverría was posthumously awarded the Great Cross of Civil Merit, the highest distinction in the nation, by Spain's president Mariano Rajoy.
Boris Johnson's Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis spoke to the British foreign minister yesterday when they both arrived in Luxembourg.
“[Boris] has once again expressed his regret to me for the process of identifying the victims having taken so long, and I've thanked him for his involvement, since I believe he played an important role in resolving the situation,” Dastis told reporters.
