‘The Tube suddenly filled up with loads of people running’

Rob Lowe, 33, was in the carriage when armed officers shot the man dead.

“The Tube was stationary and then a man came on who I presume now to be a plainclothes policeman, but at the time I didn’t know who he was,” said Mr Lowe from Balham, south London.

“He was looking quite shifty, getting up and sitting back down again. I felt a bit awkward around him. And then he seemed to shout at some people on the other platform who then all came rushing.

“The Tube suddenly filled up with loads of people running down to the end of my carriage.

“Then I heard probably four or five loud bangs and saw a bit of smoke.

“More armed policemen appeared, telling us all to get out of the Tube and people started running off,” he said.

“It did look like there was somebody on the floor at the end - I didn’t know whether it was a bag or a person - but then there was a lot of people around him and then I heard the bangs.

“It took a few seconds to sink in. I didn’t really react immediately to it. I stood around for a bit until I was told to go.”

Mr Lowe was on his way to work when the incident happened.

“It didn’t feel that panicky at the time. What made it feel a lot more serious was when the second lot of police appeared, which was very, very quickly.

“I have never heard a gun go off before but they (the bangs) sounded like what I would presume a gun to sound like.”