The heroic Kitchen porter who fought off the London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan with a pole has said he “acted instinctively”.
Speaking on Tuesday, Lukasz Koczocik sent his condolences to the families and victims of “this sad and pointless attack”.
The Polish national was working in Fishmongers' Hall on Friday when he heard a loud scream coming from upstairs.
He grabbed a "seven foot-long gladiatorial pike" and chased the assailant along London Bridge, with a group of men.
Two former Cambridge students Saskia Jones, 23 and Jack Merritt, 25 died in the attack, however, the toll could have been far higher if members of the public like Mr Koczocik had not stepped in to fight back.
In a statement released by Met Police, the hero porter said: "I and several others tried to stop a man from attacking people inside the building. I did this using a pole I found. Someone else was holding a narwhal tusk."
He added: "The man attacked me, after which he left the building. A number of us followed him out but I stopped at the bollards of the bridge.
"I had been stabbed and was later taken to hospital to be treated. I am thankful that I have now been able to return home."
Mr Koczocik said he is now trying to process what took place on November 29.
He added: "When the attack happened, I acted instinctively. I am now coming to terms with the whole traumatic incident and would like the space to do this in privacy, with the support of my family.
“I would like to express my condolences to the families who have lost precious loved ones. I would like to send my best wishes to them and everyone affected by this sad and pointless attack.”
Toby Williamson, chief executive of the conference venue, said the “selfless” acts by a number of workers and people attending a conference on Friday helped save lives.
Mr William said that Lukasz, a trained first aider, was cleaning glasses in the basement when he heard “loud screaming” and ran to the first floor where he saw Khan with two knives.
The Polish national grabbed a “seven foot-long gladiatorial pike from the wall” before charging at Khan, striking him in the chest, where it bounced off his fake suicide vest.
In the ensuing fight, Lukasz suffered five stab wounds to his left arm.
Mr Williamson said: “He makes a choice and goes towards the trouble.
“There’s blood, there’s screaming, there’s chaos. Lukasz pulls off the wall this long stick. He charges towards the bad guy and impacts him on the chest.
“There is clearly something here that is protective and it does not make any sort of impact.
“But he is buying time; he allows others to escape, to move to adjacent rooms, and he has got about a one-minute, one-on-one straight combat.
“This guy, Khan, works his way up Lukasz’s pole, slashing with this knife, and (Lukasz) takes five wounds to his left side… But he has done what he needed to do.”
He said two other men, part of the Learning Together prisoner rehabilitation organisation staging the event at the hall, then “join the fight”.
Mr Williamson also said Fishmonger Hall maintenance worker Andy — an ex-Ministry of Defence policeman — and receptionists Gareth and Dawn, were instrumental in preventing more casualties.
He told BBC Breakfast: “One has got a fire extinguisher now, and one has got a narwhal tusk ripped off the wall … It is pretty gruesome. The terrorist decided he was outnumbered. He runs for it.”
Ex-offender Marc Conway, a policy officer at the Prison Reform Trust, was at the conference and reportedly tried to tackle Khan. After sprinting down the main staircase, the “next bit of hell” was at reception, Mr Williamson said.
“He [Khan] can’t get out the front door. Our guy, called Gareth, is pushing the door shut as good as he can, so that Dawn, a yard behind can get on the telephones, hit the alarms.”
He said Khan then moved to the cloakroom, where two women, Anna and Sandra, have “a hell of a time”, before it all comes to “a great showdown” in the entrance hall, with Lukasz “leading the charge” with “pretty cool customer” Andy.
The door is then opened and Khan runs off along London Bridge. “The first one after him is Lukasz, shouting at everyone to get out of the way and get back. But members of the public just don’t do that nowadays — they do what they needed to do. They join in. The man with the fire extinguisher, the man with the narwhal tusk, they are all in there; Lukasz is losing strength on his left side, but I tell you what — his job is done. The police are there.”
An off-duty British Transport Police officer helped wrestle a knife away from Khan, and another kitchen porter named Mohammed, believed to have been on his lunch break, also helped restrain the killer.
Convicted murderer James Ford, who had been attending the event at Fishmongers’ Hall, also reportedly helped tackle Khan before the terrorist was shot dead by police.
He added that Mr Koczocik is set to receive a medal from the Polish government.
