Muslim man granted French citizenship for saving lives during Paris attack

oge okonkwo

January 21, 2015 1:24 PM

Lassana Bathily was in the store's underground stockroom when gunman Amedy Coulibaly burst in to the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Porte de Vincennes, Paris, on January 9 and killed four people

A Mali-born Muslim man who saved lives of several shoppers during the Paris attack a fortnight ago has been granted French citizenship.

24-year-old Lassana Bathily - an employee in a kosher supermarket, was praised for his 'courage and heroism' by France Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, during a ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

The Interior Minister said Bathily's 'act of humanity has become a symbol of an Islam of peace and tolerance.'

Bathily giving a touching speech said: 'Tonight I'm very proud and deeply touched,' with tears in his eyes.

He humbly stressed that he does not consider himself a hero, saying: 'I am Lassana. I'll stay true to myself.'

'People are all equal to me and skin color isn't a matter. France is the country of human rights,' he added.

Mr Bathily was in the store's underground stockroom when gunman Amedy Coulibaly burst in to the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Porte de Vincennes, Paris, on January 9 and killed four people.

It was reported that Bathily guided terrified customers to safety in a supermarket chiller and has since been praised around the world for his quick-thinking and bravery.

He told newsmen: 'When they ran down, I opened the door [of the freezer].

'There are several people who came to me. I turned off the light, I turned off the freezer.

'When I turned off the cold, I put them [hostages] in, I closed the door, I told them to stay calm.'

Using a goods lift he escaped and was able to give the police valuable information about what was happening inside and where the hostages were hiding.

He had filed an application for French citizenship last year.

oge okonkwo