Hero police officer who gunned down Cambrils terrorists is former special forces soldier

The hero police officer who shot dead four terrorists as they attacked innocent civilians with knives and an axe, is a former special forces soldier who was working overtime, it has emerged.

The married father, who has not been named for security reasons, served with the Legion - an elite infantry unit of the Spanish army.

He was highly trained in firearms and marksmanship during his time in the unit.

After leaving the armed forces he joined the Catalan police force Mossos d’Esquadra, where he had hoped to have a more stable and less dangerous life.

The hero officer usually works on patrol giving advice to shopkeepers and talking to schools about safety and security.

He was not meant to be on duty on Thursday night, but agreed to work overtime, to beef up security, after the attacks earlier that day in Barcelona.

As his patrol monitored the promenade in the coastal resort of Cambrils, 75 miles from Barcelona, five terrorists drove into the resort intent of causing further death and destruction.

Driving at high speed the jihadis ploughed an Audi A3 into pedestrians on a promenade before crashing into a police checkpoint - overturning the vehicle and injuring one officer.

The terrorists, who were wearing fake suicide vests, then jumped out armed with an axe and knives.

But using his army training and experience, the quick-thinking officer pulled his weapon and shot dead four of them, probably saving dozens of lives.

The fifth terrorist manage to get away and stabbed a woman in the neck before being shot dead by another officer.

Colleagues of the policeman described him as being: "very quiet, not the Rambo prototype of an elite officer”.

They said he was very humble and had played down in his role in tackling the jihadists.

It is understood he is now undergoing counselling with a psychologist, but has already expressed his desire to get back to work and continue with his role.

The president of the regional government in Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, personally thanked him during a visit to the police station and his colleagues gave him a spontaneous round of applause.

A police source said: "He's a quiet man who does not consider himself a hero. He says he was just doing his job. But the truth is he saved a great many lives."

The Spanish Legion was formed in 1920 and was modelled on the French Foreign Legion, although most of its members were locals.

It has 5,000 soldiers in a Brigade of two regiments stationed across Spain