It was the spontaneous putdown of the knife attacker that captured public feeling about the assault in Leytonstone underground station: You aint no Muslim bruv.
They were the words of a shocked onlooker, filmed on a mobile phone as police pinned the man to the floor after he was Tasered. The knife attacker had injured two people, one man seriously, before reportedly saying: This is for Syria.
The witnesss phrase quickly spread as people used #youaintnomuslimbruv to show their contempt for the suspected London tube station terrorist.
Among those who considered it the perfect riposte to attempts to spread violence and terror in London were the writers Tony Parsons and Bonnie Greer.
Parsons tweeted: Proud of my city today.
#YouAintNoMuslimBruv. Greer tweeted: Reports that someone yelled at perp:
#YouAintNoMuslimBruv ! Yes..that sounds like a Londoner to me.
The tweets reflected frustration in Leytonstone that the mans actions would be linked to Islam. Jay Khan, 20, a taxi dispatcher opposite the tube station, said he feared the attack would increase anti-Muslim feeling: When these things happen there is so much stuff on social media blaming Muslims and all that, he said.