Terrorist 'looked like the devil' as London Bridge victim fought him
A Spanish banker "didn't even think" before using his skateboard to fight off a London Bridge terrorist who looked "like the devil", an inquest has heard.
Ignacio Echeverria, 39, was knifed to death in an attack lasting less than five seconds as he stepped in to help protect Marie Bondeville, who was being repeatedly stabbed as she lay on the ground.
CCTV shows Ignacio Echeverria cycling towards London Bridge just before the London Bridge terrorist attack happened. Met Police
He was one of eight people killed after Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, launched a van and knife attack on June 3, 2017.
Australians Kirsty Boden, 28, and Sara Zelenak, 21, also died in the attack.
Spaniard Echeverria, who worked as a financial crime analyst at HSBC, had been skateboarding with friends before cycling past the attackers on a Santander bike.
Spanish banker Ignacio Echeverria. AAP
CCTV footage played in court showed him swinging his skateboard at Redouane before the attacker lunged with his knife, sending him to the ground.
Zaghba is seen standing over Echeverria, trying to stab him, as the victim uses his skateboard to parry the blows before Redouane's 20cm blade appears to connect with the left side of his torso.
His friend, Guillermo Sanchez-Montisi, said in a statement read at the Old Bailey: "It was like he didn't even think about it, but reacted immediately.
Kirsty Boden was stabbed by the attackers. AAP
Sara Zelenak was killed during the London Bridge terror attack. AAP
"He was to the right side of that group, hitting the attackers with his skateboard."
Sanchez-Montisi said there was a woman, now known to be Marie Bondeville, on the ground being stabbed repeatedly.
"From the way they were attacking people it was clear that their intentions were to kill everyone," he said.
"He wanted to kill her. The girl was screaming and it was terrifying."
The inquest has heard how Echeverria got off his bike and joined unarmed police constable Wayne Marques and off-duty police constable Charlie Guenigault to help protect Bondeville and Oliver Dowling, who was also injured in the attack.
The victims of the London Bridge terrorist attack: (top row from left to right) Christine Archibald, James McMullan, Alexandre Pigeard, Sebastien Belanger, (bottom row left to right) Kirsty Boden, Sara Zelenak, Xavier Thomas and Ignacio Echeverria. (Supplied) Supplied
Sanchez-Montisi said: "One of the attackers was covering his head as Ignacio was hitting him with the skateboard.
"I could hear the sound of the skateboard hitting, then suddenly Ignacio was on the floor."
He said his friend held his skateboard to protect himself before one of the attackers knifed him.
"I saw him stab Ignacio deeply into his side or the back as he was on the floor," he said.
"I saw how the knife disappeared into my friend as he lay on the floor with his skateboard on top of him. This was the first time I saw the knife."
Sanchez-Montisi said he thought he would also be stabbed as one of the attackers "looked straight at me" as he came towards him, but managed to escape after throwing something in the way.
"When he was looking at me, his face, he looked like the devil," he added.
"It was very painful to leave my friend but we were going to be next ... They knew what they were doing and they didn't care."
Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, and Alexandre Pigeard, 26, were also killed in the atrocity, which was brought to an end in less than 10 minutes when the attackers were shot dead.
The inquest continues.
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