Smitten by Smeaton: Glasgow hero turns celeb

A Newspaper in Glasgow counts six people worthy of the red carpet treatment for subduing two terrorists trying to crash a truck laden with fuel into the airport.

A Newspaper in Glasgow counts six people worthy of the red carpet treatment for subduing two terrorists trying to crash a truck laden with fuel into the airport. Some reports focused on at least two names, Michael Kerr and Steven Clarkson, who was said to have “floored” one of the men. But only baggage handler John Smeaton proved to be a natural-born Internet star.

Smeaton was one of the first witnesses to emerge in coverage of the failed plot on July 30, most notably in long interviews on the BBC and CNN.

With a heavy local accent, strong chin, close-cropped hair and ample doses of machismo, Smeaton started off his story on the interview BBC with a sequence fit for an action hero before the climactic fight. He narrated his memory of the fateful Saturday when the Jeep Cherokee crashed into the main terminal of Glasgow airport.

He recounted that cigarette in mouth, he told himself: “What’s the score? I’ve got to get this sorted.” After that, he didn’t take on 54 bad guys single handedly, but he was one of several people who got to trade blows with one of the terrorists.

The next day, news stories, used his quotes, but only about colour from the scene, not any personal deeds.

Meanwhile, the Net celebrity machine kicked into gear, this time by Mark Tortolano of Glasgow. By creating johnsmeaton.com, he hoped that “a couple hundred people might have a bit of a laugh,” he said.

The site strikes an irreverent tone that has proved to be irresistibly appealing across the Web, providing comic relief to the very serious coverage in the main news outlets. And many more than a couple hundred added to the tribute, including a poster of Osama bin Laden regretting his clash with the baggage handler.

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Fans have put up £4,200 under the site’s Pledge a Pint for John campaign. That’s 1,400 pints—but not one of them is from the local justice minister, since that “may not accord with the Executive’s policy on responsible drinking”. He however, quickly added: “But God bless John Smeaton.”

Thousands have joined the John Smeaton Appreciation Society on Facebook, and even Wikipedia’s gatekeepers have let this particular celebrity into its encyclopaedia.

Now, big news outlets are doubling back to cover the craze, further fueling Smeatogeddon. He was labelled “A new Braveheart” in Britain’s Daily Mail, “The Pride of Scotland” in the Independent and, more soberly, “an unlikely folk hero” in The Wall Street Journal