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It’s been ten years since the city narrowly avoided utter catastrophe.

At 3.13pm on June 30, 2007, 4,000 passengers were queueing in the departure hall of Glasgow International Airport to check in on one of the busiest days of the year.

A Jeep Cherokee, loaded with propane gas cylinders and petrol cans was headed for the doors of the Glasgow Airport departure area.

Flames were coming out from underneath as it crashed into a concrete post at 30mph.

One of the men then got out the flaming Jeep, himself on fire, when ordinary citizens intervened.

Working at the airport as a baggage handler at the airport at the time, one of the men who intervened, John Smeaton stepped up when the city needed him most.

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 a 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.

(Image: Getty)

“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: “This is Glasgow. We'll just set aboot ye.”

"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.

“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.