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A hero of the London Bridge attack who saved people before being stabbed to death could become a saint after the pope opened a new avenue for canonization.
Ignacio Echeverría, 39, became known as the “skateboard hero” after he used his skateboard to defeat Islamist attackers during the 2017 Borough Market attack.
The intrepid Spaniard ran towards the terrorists who were roaming the crowded market wielding 12-inch knives and stabbing revelers in their path.
While bicycling to a skate park to meet friends on June 3, 2017, she saw a man attacking a police officer, then turned her attention to a nearby woman.
The HSBC financial crime analyst got off his bike, grabbed his skateboard and ran towards the terrorists.
Ignacio Echeverría, 39, became known as the “skateboard hero” after he used his skateboard to defeat Islamist attackers during the Borough Market attack in 2017.
He hit one with his skateboard, distracting the attacker and allowing several members of the public to escape to safety.
Mr. Echeverría then saw a second man attacking a police officer, so he turned to face him, but two other terrorists stabbed him twice in the back and he died from his injuries.
Ringleader Khuram Butt carried out the atrocity with his accomplices Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba.
In total, eight victims were killed and 48 injured when three terrorists wearing fake explosive vests drove a van on London Bridge and then ran on foot into Borough High Street.
After heading south over the Thames in their vehicle, they stabbed passersby, many of whom had gathered in the crowded area for the Champions League final, until armed police shot them dead and arrived at the place in eight minutes.
Mr. Echeverría was posthumously awarded the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth and awarded Spain’s Order of Civil Merit for his heroism.
Skate parks in the Spanish cities of Alicante and Madrid now bear his name, while a musical titled ‘Skate Hero’ chronicles the last 24 hours of his life.
Now he could also receive one of Christianity’s highest honors: joining the ranks of sainthood after a bid to have him canonized was launched.
Pope Francis announced a fourth and new path to canonization, known as Oblatio Vitae, to be used if someone gives their life to save another.
In an apostolic letter announcing the movement, the Pope said: “The heroic offering of life, suggested and sustained by charity, expresses a true, complete and exemplary imitation of Christ.”
This motivated the auxiliary bishop of Madrid, Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, to approach the Echeverría family to see if they wanted Ignacio to be considered as a candidate for sainthood.
While biking to a skate park to meet friends on June 3, 2017, Ignacio saw a man attacking a police officer and then turned his attention to a nearby woman (Pictured: Ignacio skating at one point former)
In total, eight victims died and 48 were injured during the terrorist attack on London Bridge.
Pope Francis announced a fourth and new path to canonization, known as Oblatio Vitae, to be used if someone gives their life to save another.
Joaquín Echeverría, Ignacio’s father, described his son as “an ordinary person who always defended what he believed in.”
Before his death, Ignacio said that he wanted to confront the terrorists if he was involved in an attack.
His father told The Tablet: “He came to Madrid after the Westminster terrorist attack in March 2017.
‘We were talking about the courage of the policeman who died after being stabbed [PC Keith Palmer].
‘Ignacio said: “If I had been skating in Westminster when the attack happened, that policeman would still be alive now.”
‘I would like Ignacio’s death to serve. I trust that he is already in heaven, but if his death helps other people who ask for his intercession, what he did was worth it.
Joaquín announced on Twitter that the canonization process had been opened in Madrid.
After his death, the Echeverría family discovered that Ignacio had given religious lessons to Spanish-speaking children at his local parish in Poplar, east London.
Joaquín also called on anyone who knew him to give statements to religious authorities to help support his bid for sainthood.
Islamist attackers randomly stabbed passers-by, many of whom had gathered in the popular area for the Champions League final (Pictured: Terror attack victims receiving treatment)
The terrorists wore fake explosive vests and drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge.
Ignacio saw a second terrorist attacking a policeman, so he turned to him, but two other terrorists stabbed him twice in the back.
He told a Spanish newspaper: ‘We need those who knew him to explain what he was like and how they saw him, and testimonials from those who, even without knowing him, have found help in his life and death.
“His life was exemplary in a thousand aspects, and he knew how to be aware of others and resist the temptations to which we are all subject.
‘His example shows that it is worth being decent even if it costs you your life.’
Ignacio, who was born in Ferrol, in the Galicia region of northern Spain, also earned law degrees from the Complutense University of Madrid and the Sorbonne University in Paris.