The man who bravely faced down accused Sydney stabber Mert Nay with just a flimsy chair for protection has revealed why he faced down the man, who police believe was responsible for the murder of one woman, and the wounding of another.
WATCH: Mystery Hero Found: ‘Man with the chair’ tells his story on ‘Sydney Stabber’
Not wishing to be treated as a hero, Sydney lawyer John Bamford has reluctantly stepped forward to discuss the incident, which was filmed by onlookers are shared around the world. John is seen bravely confronting the man with a café chair as the accused allegedly rampaged through city streets, at one point leaping on to the roof of an Uber.
Saying he had ‘no choice’ but to confront the knife-wielding man, John told Sunrise of those terrifying moments.
‘I was walking to have my lunch on a little cafe, and as I went past the hotel, somebody emerged from the side of the building,’ he recalled.
‘He popped out into the street, had the knife raised and called out “Allahu Akhbar”, so I thought “oh, this is a terrorist”.’
Police are still investigating the motivation for the crime, but Nay is confirmed to have a troubling mental history, and reportedly recently absconded from mental health care at a Sydney hospital.
John reacted by grabbing a chair, and slowly moved to confront the man to protect bystanders, some of whom were oblivious to what was going on, despite the danger.
‘He said he had a bomb in his bag, but the zip was undone – it didn’t look like he had a bomb to me,’ John recalls.
Modest John says anyone would have done what he did, despite the wave of praise he’s received from a grateful community.
‘I think it’s a bit over-egged to be honest. We live in a very peaceful community by in large, so when you see something like this arrive on your doorstep right out of nowhere, you’ve got no choice.
‘You’ve got to do something about it.’
Thank you for what you did, John!
WATCH: Hero tells -How I stopped the ‘Sydney stabber’
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