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Faith Helped Woman Confront Terrorists

In May of 2013 in Woolwich, England, two Islamic extremists attacked a British soldier and hacked him to death with a machete. It was a gruesome crime that made headlines around the world. The two terrorists intended to have a standoff when the police arrived, evidently planning to kill more police officers before killing themselves

In the midst of this potentially explosive scene, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, a 48-year-old "Cub Scout mom," was passing by in public bus number 53. At first, she saw the body in the street and thought someone needed lifesaving measures. So she hopped off the bus, knelt down, felt no pulse, and then realized the men who had attacked him were still there, eyeing her.

Ingrid described what happened next:

I started to talk to him and I started to notice more weapons and the guy behind him with more weapons as well. By then, people had started to gather around. So I thought OK, I should keep him talking to me before he noticed everything around him. I said, "Right now it is only you versus many people, you are going to lose, what would you like to do?" and he said I would like to stay and fight.

She remained calm and undeterred when one of them told her they were hoping to start a war in London. At one point she even tried to persuade one of the attackers to hand his weapon over to her. Eventually police arrived and they were able to arrest the men and take them into custody.

Ms. Loyau-Kennett's bravery became a quick story on the Internet, but the press failed to mention the main motive for her courage. In a later interview she said, "I live my life as a Christian. I believe in thinking about others and loving thy neighbor. We all have a duty to look after each other."

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