TWO police officers tackled a machete-wielding man in a "suicide vest" as he approached Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
PC Jason Hodgson and PC Alex Field have been commended for their bravery following the incident near the football club's North London grounds in January last year.
The officers were called to reports of a man waving what appeared to be a large weapon and shouting in an aggressive manner.
They confronted the man and tackled him to the ground where he was violent and tried to resist arrest – but they were eventually able to detain him with two handcuffs.
It was when he was on the floor that the officers noticed a number of coloured electrical wires protruding from his jacket in what appeared to be a suicide vest.
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They made the selfless decision to tightly hug the suspect to prevent his movement from triggering the suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the densely populated area outside Emirates.
Another officer arrived on the scene and used past military experience to carefully search the man before dismantling the device, which included a circuit board and metal plates attached to electrical wires.
Police said the suspect, who had mental health problems and had strapped phones to himself in an intricate manner, was arrested.
A statement from the force said: "Fast time decision-making and the courageous actions of these officers resulted in the safe detention and arrest of the suspect.
"Explosives officers and armed police arrived on scene shortly after and were it not for the actions of the Islington officers, they would have had to engage the suspect who presented every visual indication of a terrorist threat."
The Met has commended the officers for their bravery during the incident on January 3, 2016,and they are both up for an award.
Others nominated for a commendation include two officers who rescued 10 people, including a baby, elderly man and pregnant woman from a three storey inferno with no safety equipment.
A dog handler is also nominated for tackling a dangerous man who had doused himself in petrol and was armed with a dagger while making threats to kill himself and burn down a house.
The public can vote for the winner of the Outstanding Bravery of the Year award by visiting the Met's website between today and midnight on February 6.
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