Don Ignacio Echeverría Miralles de Imperial, OMC, GM (25 May 1978 – 3 June 2017) was a Spanish lawyer and banker. He fought off two of the three terrorists in the

2017 London Bridge attack On 3 June 2017, a terrorist vehicle-ramming and stabbing took place in London, England. A van was deliberately driven into pedestrians on London Bridge, and then crashed on Borough High Street, just south of the River Thames. The van's three occu ...

, before being killed by the terrorists.

Biography

Ignacio Echeverría, called ''Abo'', was the third of five children. He was the son of Joaquín Echeverría Alonso, an Asturian engineer, and Ana Miralles de Imperial Hornedo, a lawyer. Even though he was born in the Hospital General of Ferrol,

La Coruña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

(

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

), he was entered in the Civil Register of

As Pontes de García Rodríguez As Pontes de García Rodríguez is a municipality in the northwest of the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Eume. It is the largest municipality in the province and it has a popula ...

, a town situated in the northwest of the province. He lived there until the age of 9, when the family moved to

Las Rozas de Madrid Las Rozas de Madrid (, or simply, Las Rozas ) is a municipality in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, with an area of 59 km² (22¾ sq. mi.). The municipality is served by three Renfe railway stations– Las Rozas, Pinar de Las ...

. Echeverría grew up in a Catholic home, and was a member of a local group of

Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...

in Las Rozas. He was fluent in English, French and German, and graduated in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

from two universities, the

Complutense University The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

and the Sorbonne. He was also fond of

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

and squash. After working in several banks and being unemployed, he decided to move to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he secured a position as a money laundering prevention analyst with

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

Attack and burial

At around 10pm on Saturday 3 June 2017, Echeverría, carrying his skateboard on his back, was skateboarding with friends in London. Near

Borough Market Borough Market is a wholesale and retail market hall in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. The present buildings were built ...

, they saw a man attacking a police officer lying on the ground. When the man left the body of the officer and began to assault a woman (a French citizen who survived the incident due to Echeverría's actions) Echeverría used his skateboard to strike the attacker, diverting his attention long enough for several people to move to safety. He subsequently attacked a second terrorist who was also attacking a police officer. He was then stabbed twice in the back by two attackers, causing his death. After the attack, several of his relatives left messages on social networks asking for help to locate his body. His sister and niece toured London hospitals looking for him without success. The Spanish Consulate and the

Spanish Embassy Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine ** Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

provided help and support to his sister and family during the search process. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain,

Alfonso Dastis Alfonso María Dastis Quecedo (born 5 October 1955) is a Spanish diplomat, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain from 2016 until 1 June 2018, when a vote of no-confidence against Mariano Rajoy ousted the government. Prior to becomin ...

, expressed his bewilderment at the disappearance of Echeverría. His father reported that HSBC employed a former police private investigator to help find him. On Wednesday 7 June, British authorities confirmed to his family that Echeverría had been among the eight victims of the attack. The family identified him the next day and began the process of repatriation. On 10 June his body was transferred to Spain by military airplane and was received with honours by Prime Minister

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (, ; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a 2018 vote of no confidence in the government of Mariano Rajoy, vote of no confidence ousted his government. A m ...

and

María Dolores de Cospedal María Dolores Cospedal García (born 13 December 1965) is a Spanish politician. A member of the People's Party (PP), she served as President of Castile-La Mancha from 2011 to 2015 and as Minister of Defence of the Government of Spain from 201 ...

, Minister of Defence, at

Torrejón Air Base Torrejón Air Base (Base Aérea de Torrejón de Ardoz) is both a major Spanish Air and Space Force base and the co-located Madrid–Torrejón Airport, a secondary civilian airport for the city and metropolitan area of Madrid, east-northeast of t ...

(Madrid). The body

lay in repose Lying in repose is the tradition in which the body of a deceased person, often of high social stature, is made available for public viewing. Lying in repose differs from the more formal honor of lying in state, which is generally held at the pr ...

in the cemetery of Las Rozas de Madrid, with the

Order of Civil Merit The Royal Order of Civil Merit (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OMC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order ...

Grand Cross which he had been posthumously awarded placed on the coffin. On Sunday 11 June, a

funeral mass A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect the ...

was held in Corpus Christi Parish of Las Rozas conducted by Archbishop of Madrid

Carlos Osoro Sierra Carlos Osoro Sierra (; born 16 May 1945) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Madrid from 2014 to 2023. He has been a bishop since 1997 and a cardinal since 2016. Life Osoro was born in Castañeda in northern Sp ...

, who had previously officiated a mass to mark the coffin's arrival in Spain.

Reactions

The Town Council of Las Rozas de Madrid, where the Echeverría family lived, declared a two-day official mourning period and a rally in memory of Echeverría which was attended by more than 1,000 people, as well as naming the

skate park A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, quarter pipe ...

where Echeverría used to practise after him. The Town Council of As Pontes de García Rodríguez convened a demonstration of mourning. The news of his death and the circumstances surrounding it saw significant coverage in both national and international press, with media dubbing him ''the Skateboard Hero''. The Bar Association of Madrid expressed dismay for the murder of a former member and announcing its intention to participate in all tributes in his memory. Spanish singer

Joaquín Sabina Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina (born 12 February 1949) is a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and poet. His songs usually treat love, heartbreaks and society with significant use of literary figures as in the baroque-literature style. He ha ...

dedicated a song to him in a concert that was held after the attack in

Úbeda Úbeda () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the Province of Jaén (Spain), province of Jaén, Andalusia. The town lies on the southern ridge of the so-called Loma de Úbeda, a Table (landform), table sandwiched in bet ...

( province of Jaén) as well as mentioning him at a concert in London. The Spanish Skating Federation awarded him its order of merit and medal. Senior members of the Catholic Church in Spain also praised his example and asked for members to pray for him, including Cardinal-Archbishop of Madrid, who conducted his funeral, and Luis Ángel de las Heras CMF, the Bishop of Ferrol, his hometown. On 14 June, the Workers' Commissions Trade Union representatives in Endesa issued a statement lamenting the murder of Echeverría and expressing their solidarity with his father, a retired worker of the company. The City Council of

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

agreed to give his name to the San Juan Beach skate park. Spanish boxer Kerman Lejarraga dedicated his victory in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to Ignacio Echeverría. He said "this victory is especially dedicated to Ignacio Echeverría, who died a hero". During the Spanish state visit to the United Kingdom in July 2017,

Felipe VI Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...

mentioned his act of heroism at the reception in the Spanish Embassy as well as in his speeches to both houses of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and at the state banquet in the presence of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. A tribute was held in

Comillas Comillas is a small township and municipality in the northern reaches of Spain, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. The Marquessate of Comillas, a fiefdom of Spanish nobility, holds ceremonial office in the seat of power at a small castle ...

(

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

), where Echeverría spent the summer with his family, on 10 August 2017. Dozens of people attended and a sports area with a skate park was dedicated to him. During the military parade of the

national day of Spain The National Day of Spain () is a Public holiday, national holiday held annually on 12 October. It is also traditionally and commonly referred to as the Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanicity, Spanishness Day), commemorating Spanish legacy worldwi ...

on 12 October 2017, devoted for the first time to victims of terrorism, Echeverría received a tribute along with the victims of the Barcelona attacks. His mother accompanied King Felipe during the floral offering with the ambassadors of the countries that had suffered casualties in these attacks and presidents of the Association of Victims of Terrorism and the Foundation of Victims of Terrorism. On 11 October 2018, Echeverría's parents, alongside

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

Charles Guenigault and Constable Wayne Marques, received the

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...

from the Queen at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. Constable Leon McLeod was awarded the

Queen's Gallantry Medal The King's Gallantry Medal (KGM), formerly the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM), is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of courage, bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the l ...

at the same investiture ceremony. These four appointments were approved on 19 July 2018 for "''confronting armed terrorists to protect others at London Bridge''".

Beatification

Five years after Echeverría's death at the London Bridge attack, the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Madrid () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Spain. It is one of Spain's fourteen metropolitan archbishoprics. Since 12 June 2023 the archbishop of Madrid has been José Cobo Cano. Although Madrid ha ...

has joined forces with his family in an effort to have him recognised as a saint. Preliminary steps for his beatification are underway led by the Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino.

Honours

Spanish orders and medals

* Grand Cross of the

(10 June 2017) * Grand Cross of the Royal Order for Civil Recognition of the Victims of Terrorism (18 May 2018) * Silver Medal of the Order of Police Merit (17 July 2017) * Orden del Dos de Mayo

Gold Medal of the

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

(2 May 2019) * Medal of Honour of

, ''1st recipient'' (29 September 2017)

Foreign

* : **

Posthumous

(19 July 2018), which was presented personally by

to Echeverría's parents in a ceremony at

. ** High Commendation of the Metropolitan Police Service, the

British Transport Police British Transport Police (BTP; ) is a national special police force that polices the railway network of England, Wales and Scotland, which consists of over 10,000 miles of track and 3,000 stations and depots. BTP also polices the London Under ...

and the

City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force#United Kingdom, territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle Temple, Middle and Inner Temple, Inner Temples. The for ...

, ''Tri-Force Commendation 1st recipient'' (4 December 2017)

Other distinctions

* The Order of Merit and Medal, Spanish Royal Federation of Skating (9 June 2017) * Gold Medal of Dignity and Justice Association, Madrid (21 June 2017) * Gold Medal of Honour of the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid (19 July 2017) * The Collective of Victims of Terrorism - COVITE International Award,

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

(28 October 2017) *The IMF International Business School Award for a Better World, Madrid (2 June 2018) *The Police Public Bravery Awards, United Kingdom (30 October 2018) *Honorific eponyms: **The secondary school in las Rozas where he studied has been renamed in his tribute (27 June 2017) **Ignacio Echeverría Sports Area in Comillas, Cantabria (10 August 2017) **Ignacio Echeverría Park in As Pontes de García Rodríguez, La Coruña (4 November 2017) **Ignacio Echeverría Skateparks in Albal (

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

Alcorcón Alcorcón () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. As of 2022, it had a population of 170,296. Geography The municipality, largely flat, lies at an average altitude of 711 metres above sea level, with the hi ...

(

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Alpedrete (Madrid),

Boadilla del Monte Boadilla del Monte () is a Spanish town and municipality located in the west of the Community of Madrid, inside its metropolitan area. It has the second highest level of income per capita in all of the country of Spain. In 2017, it had a popula ...

(

Fuengirola Fuengirola () is a city on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the central coast of the province and integrated into the region of the Costa del Sol and the Com ...

(

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...

(Madrid),

Logroño Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...

, ''

Navalcarnero Navalcarnero is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located about from Madrid. Sights include the church of Inmaculada Concepción. History By the end of 1499 the city of Segovia founded the location of Navalcarnero, to put an en ...

(Madrid)'' ''projected'',

Torre del Mar Torre del Mar is a locality on the southern coast of Spain, in the municipality of Vélez-Málaga, Axarquía, located in the province of Málaga. It is a popular summer tourist resort for Spanish people. History A large 6th- to 8th-century necr ...

and ''Las Rozas de Madrid'' ''projected''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Echeverria, Ignacio 1978 births 2017 deaths People from Ferrol, Spain Spanish people murdered abroad Terrorism deaths in England People murdered in London Spanish terrorism victims Complutense University of Madrid alumni University of Paris alumni Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit Recipients of the George Medal 21st-century Spanish lawyers 21st-century venerated Christians Spanish Servants of God Spanish skateboarders HSBC people Spanish expatriates in the United Kingdom Spanish expatriates in France People from As Pontes de García Rodríguez Deaths by stabbing in London