A British tourist hailed a hero for sprinting after a knifeman after he stabbed five people in Amsterdam ‘almost certainly has a military background’, an expert told MailOnline.

The mysterious Brit, in his 30s, who has not been identified, was dubbed the ‘Hero of the Dam’ for single-handedly hunting down the Ukrainian knifeman moments after his frenzied attack on passers-by in the Dutch capital.

Showing no regard for his own safety he sprinted after the attacker and kicked his ankle sending him crashing to the ground and sitting on him until police arrived.

Now a former member of the Parachute Regiment who saw the footage says he is convinced the have a go hero has some form of special forces or forces training.

Paul Biddiss studied CCTV of the moment the Brit captured the knifeman and highlight the five tell-tale signs that he has been specially trained.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Paul said: ‘Looking at the clips there’s no doubt in my mind he has received some form of training.

‘That could be military, it could be police, or it could be he’s involved in close protection work.

‘In the opening sequence six seconds in, you can see he is extraordinarily fit and the speed with which he chases down his attacker suggests that he takes part in regular fitness training.

‘That in itself doesn’t prove he is from a military background, but then 12 seconds in the way he apprehends the knifeman and has him pinned to the ground shows his background. 

‘He is so calm, so controlled and so unfazed by his situation. And let’s remember this man had just stabbed five people. It’s inconceivable that he hasn’t been trained to do that.

‘Then after 18 seconds you can see he is disabling the attacker by carefully pressure on the wrists, elbows and shoulder.

‘On 24 seconds it appears to me that he has taken his belt off, which is something you are taught in the military to improvise and use whatever you have on your person to restrain and nullify a threat.

Paul was in the Parachute Regiment for 24 years, met Queen Camilla last week when she visited the set of smash ITV series Trigger Point and helped out on Eddie Redmayne Sky Atlantic blockbuster The Day of the Jackal.

He added: ‘From what I can see, he’s using prone restraint techniques, taught in tactical control and restraint training.

‘He’s also controlling the attacker’s pressure points which means he can’t move and he’s in complete control of the situation, using his full body weight by sitting on him.

‘By taking him down onto his stomach and putting his hands behind his back, he’s made sure he can’t wriggle about.

‘He’s put his weight on the pressure points at the wrist, elbow and shoulder and importantly he has both his hands free to deal with any struggling.

‘He appears to have taken his belt off just in case he needs that as a further restraint until more help arrived but because the technique is good you can see the assailant is subdued.

‘He’s put the man in an arm lock where his arm is an such an angle that he can’t move it and this creates pain which can be sued to control an assailant.

Paul also highlighted the man was ‘clearly in good shape’ and said: ‘He’s got a good level of fitness and that’s required for those who work in the police or security sector.

‘You have to keep your heart rate under control to maintain the ability to perform such physical skills effectively and control the situation and your surroundings.

‘As your heart rate rises, the skill level lowers, and the ability to remain focused and in complete control deteriorates.

‘The higher the stress level the lower the skill level and the duller the response time but this guy reacts super-fast as you can see.’

Paul, who has also worked in counter security and intelligence, added: ‘It’s also interesting that he has asked for no personal details to be revealed which would also suggest some security background.

‘My theory is he could be ex-military working in the security industry as these techniques are taught as part of the training course.’

The Ukrainian knifeman brought havoc to the tranquil streets of the picturesque Dutch canal city last Thursday.

In the aftermath the British tourist pinned the suspect down just off Dam Square, kneeling on top of him as he waited for police to arrive.

On Friday, Femke Halsema, Amsterdam’s mayor, thanked the man for his actions and awarded him the city’s heldenspeld – which means hero’s badge – for bravery at her official residence.

‘He is a very modest British man,’ she told the Amsterdam news channel AT5.

‘He has no desire to become famous. He is now mainly concerned with the victims, he feels responsible for them.’

She said the tourist had shown ‘great instinct’ by overpowering the suspect moments after he had stabbed the fifth victim.

‘This man made a decision in a split second, which is truly exceptional and for which there should be a lot of appreciation,’ she added.

Four of the victims were foreign nationals – two Americans, a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, a 26-year-old Polish man and a 73-year-old Belgian woman. The fifth victim was a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam.

Ms Halsema said all the victims were in a stable condition, adding: ‘Everything is being done to determine the identity of the perpetrator.’

An Amsterdam police spokesman told the Dutch news outlet AD the ‘heroic’ British man did a ‘great job’ performing a ‘rare citizen’s arrest’.

An onlooker told MailOnline: ‘It was horrific, the woman was on the ground screaming and when she rolled over, I saw the knife in her back.

‘The man who we know now was the hero rushed off after the attacker while his friend stayed behind to help the woman.

‘The guy who was helping her clearly knew what he was doing, he looked to have first aid training and was reassuring the woman and her husband while they were waiting for the ambulance crew.

‘There was something about the way the British guy and his friend reacted that made me think they were not ordinary tourists.’

Another witness told MailOnline: ‘This guy was a hero; he stopped the man so quickly and professionally.

‘I was watching from the sandwich shop where I work, and he kicked the man’s ankles and when he fell on the floor he sat on him to stop him moving.

‘It looked like he was using a belt to restrain his hands but the way he remained calm and cool and didn’t made it obvious to me he was either a policeman or security, maybe a soldier.’

The knife-wielder himself was injured in the leg and was admitted to the infirmary of the prison in Scheveningen. He will appear in court in Amsterdam in a closed hearing on Tuesday.