Eagle Scout praised for bravery, service after London terror attack

Tobias Ellwood, the politician gaining praise for his heroism after a fatal stabbing outside the U.K. Parliament in London, is an Eagle Scout.

Ellwood, born in New York City to British parents, was a member of the Boy Scouts of America’s Transatlantic Council, which serves American Scouts living overseas. He earned Scouting’s highest honor on May 25, 1982, as a member of Troop 427 of Vienna, Austria.

On March 22, a terrorist drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three. He then fatally stabbed a police officer with a knife outside the Parliament complex.

Ellwood, who served five years in the British army, was photographed kneeling over the policeman’s body. He performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and tried to apply pressure to the officer’s chest wounds, according to this report in The Guardian.

Ellwood was surrounded by paramedics, police officers and doctors as he tried to treat the injuries, and remained with the victim until an air ambulance arrived. The officer was later confirmed dead.

The minister was later pictured with bloodied hands and forehead, being comforted by officers in New Palace Yard, the green space adjacent to Big Ben.

Praised for heroism

Later, Ellwood garnered praise for his quick-thinking efforts to attempt to save the life of another. Frank Gardner, a reporter for the BBC, tweeted:

Huge respect for my friend @Tobias_Ellwood MP who tried to save the stabbed policeman, and staunch blood from multiple stab wounds. In vain.

— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) March 22, 2017

Fellow U.K. politicians called Ellwood “an absolute hero” and “utterly heroic, pure and simple.”