Tourist Harry Athwal tells how he helped comfort dying boy on Las Ramblas after horror Barcelona van attack

The heroic British father who is believed to have cradled an Australian boy as he lay dying on Las Ramblas after the Barcelona terror attack has called on the "common man" to fight terror.

Harry Athwal, from Birmingham, had been dining in a restaurant on a balcony in the Spanish city when a van was driven into a crowd of tourists last week, killing 15, the Daily Mail reported.

He immediately rushed to the aid of a little boy, believed to be 7-year-old Julian Cadman.

The 44-year-old father was seen comforting the youngster, whose mother was also injured and remains hospitalised, in heartbreaking pictures.

In emotional interviews, Athwal - who has an 8-year-old son - said he had no choice but to go to help the little boy - and urged viewers to take a stand against terrorism.

"I could see bodies strewn to the left and right and in the middle of Las Ramblas was the body of a child, I knew what I had to do, I just raced to that child," he told Nine News.

"The first thing I tried to do was check his pulse to see if she was alive and he had no pulse and I kept my hand there.

"I tried to talk to him, I said a little prayer."

Police had ordered everyone, including Athwal, to leave Las Ramblas after the attack - but he refused to leave the boy.

But despite his bravery, Athwal insisted he's not a hero, but just a "common man, same as anybody else".

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Athwal, a project manager, said he had known straight away that a terrorist attack had taken place.

He said: "You hear this screaming, thuds and thunder, you were just trying to think ''what I have I just seen?''

"Straight away I knew it was a terrorist attack. I didn't know what to do but I knew I had to do something."

Athwal explained that when he saw the little boy lying on the pavement, it reminded him of his son and he felt the need to rush to his side.

He added: "When I saw that child, I was instantly drawn to that child. He was quite badly injured, I checked for a pulse and he didn't have a pulse.

"I put a hand on his back and he wasn't breathing, so all I could do was sit with him and stroke his back until the police came."