King Charles has awarded the George Medal to Nathan Newby, who persuaded a would-be terrorist to abandon his plan to detonate a bomb in a maternity ward.
Mr Newby was received by the King at St James’s Palace, engaging in conversation with the monarch during a special investiture ceremony.
His Majesty recognised exceptional individuals for acts of bravery, presenting five different types of honours.
Mr Newby, 35, from Leeds, was presented with Britain’s second-highest honour of its kind in recognition of his lifesaving intervention in January 2023.
King Charles, Nathan Newby
King Charles has awarded the George Medal to Nathan Newby, who persuaded a would-be terrorist to abandon his plan to detonate a bomb in a maternity ward.
Mr Newby was received by the King at St James’s Palace, engaging in conversation with the monarch during a special investiture ceremony.
His Majesty recognised exceptional individuals for acts of bravery, presenting five different types of honours.
Mr Newby, 35, from Leeds, was presented with Britain’s second-highest honour of its kind in recognition of his lifesaving intervention in January 2023.
King Charles, Nathan Newby
The King has awarded the George Medal to Nathan Newby | PA
The 35-year-old heroically spent two hours convincing “lone-wolf terrorist” Mohammad Farooq to abandon his plan at St James’ Hospital in Leeds.
Farooq had entered the hospital carrying a homemade pressure cooker explosive device with the intention of killing as many nurses as possible.
He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years.
During his trial, the court heard Farooq had become radicalised by Isis ideology and had also harboured a longstanding grudge against nursing staff from his time working at the hospital as a clinical support worker.
King Charles, Nathan Newby
Nathan Newby was presented with Britain’s second-highest honour of its kind in recognition of his lifesaving interventio
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, the sentencing judge, described Mr Newby as “an extraordinary, ordinary man whose decency and kindness on January 20, 2023, prevented an atrocity in a maternity wing of a major British hospital”.
Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, Mr Newby recounted how he had stepped outside for a vape and some fresh air when he noticed Farooq standing with his hands in his pockets.
The 35-year-old said: “I just went over to see if he was alright, to see if I could make him feel better.
“I said: ‘How are you, pal? Are you alright?’ and it just went from there really.”
The King has awarded the George Medal to Nathan Newby | PA
