AIRPORT PANIC
Horror moment knifeman is shot dead at top Brit holiday airport after threatening terrified tourists and lunging at cops
Watch the shocking footage in the video player
THIS is the horrifying moment a knifeman is shot dead at a top Brit holiday airport.
The 18-year-old was shot five times at Gran Canaria Airport after going berserk and lunging at one of the officers who confronted him.
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Terrified holidaymakers were seen running for cover as shots rang out during the Saturday afternoon incident.
Shocking footage shows the knifeman, today named as Abdoulie Bah, running at one of the five National Police officers trying to intercept him, with the cop falling to the ground as bystanders scramble to safety.
The knifeman then tries to run towards other travellers as cops continue to chase him.
He was then shot as he tried to attack the officer’s colleagues who appeared to be warning him to desist before they opened fire.
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One of the five bullets the teenager received hit him in the neck, court officials confirmed.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His body remained at the location for over an hour as forensic and judicial teams documented the scene.
CCTV footage of the incident, which unfolded just before 5pm on Saturday, is being analysed by an investigating judge based in the Gran Canaria town of Telde.
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Overnight it emerged the unnamed aggressor had tried to board a flight to Gambia before going on the rampage, but was turned back after airport workers saw his ticket was for a plane due to take off on May 22.
He is said to have tried to force his way through airport control after being intercepted, setting off a scanner because of the knife he was carrying in his rucksack.
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Ibon Dominguez, a spokesman for police union Jupol, described the response of the officers who tackled the knifeman as “proportional and congruent”.
He said: “The man with the knife could easily have ended the lives of one of those policemen.”
Friends expressed their shock at the talented footballer’s actions, with one former classmate describing him as an “exceptionally intelligent student” and calling him “calm, kind and non-violent.”
Local reports in Gran Canaria said Abdoulie had been rescued at sea after trying to reach the sunshine archipelago as a 13-year-old.
Sources at a Gran Canaria football club called Lomo Blanco where he spent two seasons described him as a “very calm nice boy” who had a smile for everyone.
He was combining his studies with part-time work as a translator at a youth centre.
Friends expressed their shock at the talented footballer’s actions, with one former classmate describing him as an “exceptionally intelligent student” and calling him “calm, kind and non-violent.”
Sheriff Seedou said of the teenager, known as Figo, who he got to know when they studied together at Abuko Upper Basic School in The Gambia: “Abdoulie was an exceptionally intelligent student during our time at Abuko Upper Basic School.
“He was very close to me, not just in friendship but in spirit. Calm, kind, and non-violent, he had a welcoming presence that I’ll never forget.
"When I joined Abuko, knowing no-one in those first few weeks, it was Abdoulie who welcomed me warmly and helped me settle in.
“He was also a talented football player, very skilful, we used to call him 'Figo'."
The Canary Islands High Court of Justice said in its first full statement on the incident: “A duty court in Telde has been investigating the circumstances in which a person who was shot by the police died on Saturday in the airport area.
“At the moment the court is compiling the images of the multiple camera recordings from outside and inside the airport in order to establish a reconstruction of the events.
“The man was shot five times, including once in the neck.
“The videos show that the deceased was apparently out of his mind and carrying a large knife and after attacking a taxi driver he felled a police officer and tried to knock down another, and was wandering around armed in an area with a large number of people, creating a real danger for their physical safety.
“He was 18 years old.”
Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) handled nearly 14million passengers in 2023, with peak footfall during the winter and summer holidays.
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The airport is one of Spain's busiest and a favourite destination for millions of British tourists.
The shocking incident happened in the ground-level zone used by both Global buses and taxis - a key area for arriving and departing travellers.
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