Hero policeman who killed jihadists was former soldier doing overtime

An armed policeman stands on the spot where terrorists were shot by police in Cambrils, Spain. Photo / AP

The Spanish policeman 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.

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.

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

The officer was not meant to be on duty on Friday, 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, 120km from Barcelona, five terrorists drove into the resort intent on causing further death and destruction.

Driving at high speed, the jihadists 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 got away and stabbed a woman in the neck before being shot dead by another officer.

The black Audi A3 used in the Cambrils attack was photographed by a speed camera near Paris about a week before the atrocities in Spain, it emerged yesterday.

French police found the photo while searching for possible accomplices, according to security sources.