Hero Patient Awarded George Medal After Stopping Hospital Suicide Bomber
Nathan Newby, a patient at St James's Hospital in Leeds, has been awarded the George Medal for his extraordinary bravery in preventing a potential atrocity. In January 2023, Newby calmly talked a "lone-wolf terrorist" out of detonating a homemade pressure cooker bomb in the hospital's maternity wing, an act that has now earned him the second-highest civilian gallantry award.
The Night of the Planned Attack
On the evening of January 20, 2023, Newby, then 35 and a patient at the hospital, stepped outside for some fresh air when he noticed Mohammad Farooq acting strangely. Farooq, a former clinical support worker at the hospital, had become a self-radicalised terrorist inspired by the Islamic State group. He targeted the maternity wing due to a long-running grievance with nurses.
Newby approached Farooq to check on him, initiating a conversation that would last several hours. "I just went over to see if he was alright, to see if I could make him feel better," Newby recalled. About an hour into their talk, Farooq confessed he was there for revenge and revealed he had a bomb in his bag.
A Tactical and Compassionate Response
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Newby remained calm. He asked to see the device to confirm it, then tactically guided Farooq away from the building to nearby benches, calculating that if the bomb detonated, it would only damage the doors rather than the entire structure. "I wasn't going to shout... I just thought, the best way is to keep quiet and just get him out of the way and be tactical about it," Newby explained.
Despite grappling with his own mental health struggles at the time, Newby's primary concern was to ensure no one else was harmed. "If it goes off, it's just going to be me and him, and I want to make sure it's just me and him and not no one else," he said.
An Unlikely Connection
Over the course of their conversation, the pair discussed Farooq's family and children. Farooq asked for a cuddle several times, which Newby granted, perceiving him as "normal" and not judging him. "Everybody's different and unique in their own ways aren't they?" Newby reflected.
Eventually, Farooq called Newby a "top guy" and instructed him to "phone the police before I change my mind." Newby made the call, describing Farooq as someone who "seemed like a nice guy deep down." Armed officers soon arrived and detained Farooq, who was later jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years.
Recognition and Reflection
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, the sentencing judge, praised Newby as "an extraordinary, ordinary man whose decency and kindness prevented an atrocity." Newby, however, remains humble, describing himself as simply "in the right place at the right time."
Looking back, Newby said the full enormity of the event only hit him once he was in a police van. "It started sinking in that it could have been different," he admitted. He maintains that Farooq was "probably a nice guy" who was "going through bad things at the time."
Newby concluded by noting that he only thinks about that night when others bring it up, reflecting on how differently it could have ended. "I was a patient at the time, so I wouldn't be here... it would have took me out," he said, underscoring the life-saving impact of his actions.
