The police officer stabbed in the Glasgow knife attack has thanked brave colleagues for ‘putting themselves in harm’s way’ to save lives.

Constable David Whyte, 42, was one of six people injured during the incident at the Park Inn Hotel in West George Street on Friday, in which a male suspect was shot and killed by police.

Three of the other people who were injured are asylum seekers, Police Scotland said, while two are members of staff. All remain in hospital, one in a critical but stable condition, the others in a stable condition.

In a statement posted on Twitter by the force, Mr Whyte said: ‘The incident myself and colleagues faced in West George Street was extremely challenging. The scene we were confronted with is something I will never forget. As the first responders on scene, myself and my colleague did what all police officers are trained for to save lives.’

The officer, who remains in a stable condition, thanked his colleagues who ‘put themselves in harm’s way to contain this incident and assist with the vital treatment given to myself and others at the scene by other emergency services’.

Mr Whyte added: ‘Despite suffering serious injuries myself, I know that the swift actions of colleagues saved lives and prevented a far more serious incident.

‘I would like to thank the medical staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for their outstanding care in the hours following this incident.

‘Finally, I would like to thank the public for all their kind messages of support and for the good wishes from all at Police Scotland. It means a lot and has brought both myself and my family great comfort at this difficult time.’

The constable also asked that his privacy be respected.

Police Scotland, which has said the attack is not being treated as terrorism, has launched an appeal for any witnesses to come forward.

Officers were called to the hotel at 12.50pm and the incident was ‘quickly contained’, the force said.

The suspect was shot by an armed unit and died at the scene.

Following an update from Police Scotland on Saturday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: ‘My thoughts today remain with Constable Whyte – whose bravery we are all deeply grateful for – and the other people who sustained injuries in yesterday’s terrible incident. I wish them all a full and speedy recovery.’

The Park Inn hotel was being used to house asylum seekers. All of those injured during the incident there are aged between 17 and 53.

One witness recalled rushing inside to cradle his wounded friend.

Dontay Redhead, 24, said his pal cried out ‘I love my mother’ as a pool of blood spread out beneath him.

He told The Scottish Sun: ‘He got stabbed on each side of his stomach. His guts were hanging out.’

Meanwhile, a man who said he knew the perpetrator claimed he warned of the attack the night before.

Giving his name as Siraj, he told ITV: ‘He said “I will attack” so everyone should take it seriously.

‘I told him “no, there’s no need to attack” and he said “they hate me, I hate them, they are against me”.

‘He started to say a lot of stuff like that but I said nobody hates you, nobody knows you, nobody knows each other.

‘I reported him to the hotel reception and then the next day, yesterday morning, the housing manager talked to me and I said to him everything he (the attacker) said to me. And in the afternoon, it happened.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article