News

Palestinian Who Saved Policeman Recalls Vienna Rampage

VIENNA, Nov 6 — A Palestinian immigrant, who helped a wounded police officer during Monday’s terrorist attack in Vienna, recalled the night of the rampage.

Osama Joda, 23, who moved to Austria eight years ago, told Anadolu Agency as to how he risked his life to help the police officer who was shot by a gunman in Vienna’s city centre.

He was working at a fast-food restaurant in Schwedenplatz square when the incident took place.

When he and his friend heard the gunshots, Joda said, they tried to get to a safe place during which the terrorist came very close to them, and therefore he hid behind a tree.

Noting that there was no police officer around when the attacker started shooting, Joda said: “I saw the assailant behind the tree and tried to speak to him in Arabic. I told him that I am a Palestinian and Muslim, but he did not listen to me and continued shooting. He fired at least 20 shots.”

He said that two police officers arrived shortly afterward and the terrorist went into hiding.

The officers were unprepared, Joda said, adding the gunman shot one of them before they could take action.

“The police officer fell to the ground and was seriously bleeding,” he said.

“At that moment, I wanted to help the injured police officer by showing up from behind the tree where I was hiding, but the other officer told me to go to a safe place,” he recalled.

Joda said that he did help the officer anyway by moving him to a close-by bench and gave him first aid.

An ambulance arrived later, but the paramedics were in shock and could not approach the injured police officer, he said, adding that this is when two Turkish young men rushed to the site and took the injured policeman to the ambulance, he added.

The Vienna Police thanked Joda by honouring him with an honorary medal.

“I am a Palestinian Muslim, the two Turks who came to help the police were also Muslims, we are proud of what we did,” he said.

“Terror has no religion. This is not Islam; we did not learn such a religion from our prophet, and our family did not teach us such a religion.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig thanked Joda for his help.

At least four people were killed and 17 more were wounded in the terror attack that shocked Austria.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said the assailant, who was later killed by the police, was a sympathiser of the Daesh terror group.

The 20-year-old was known to police as he was arrested last year for attempting to travel to Syria to join the terror group.

He was released from jail in December, due to his young age.

Local media identified him as Kujtim F., who had both North Macedonian and Austrian citizenship.

Source: BERNAMA

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

Tous les Jours Expands in Malaysia with New Outlets at Sunway Pyramid and Sunway Velocity

Malaysian fans of delectable K-inspired baked goods will be delighted to hear that Tous Les… Read More

5 hours ago

Stitch Lands in KL, Disney’s Blue Menace Takes Over Pavilion This School Holiday

Get ready for a school holiday filled with tropical vibes as Pavilion Kuala Lumpur transforms… Read More

5 hours ago

Malaysia Gears Up for Southeast Asia’s First Smart City Expo, Here’s Why You Should Care

Kuala Lumpur just flipped the switch on something big. The 100-day countdown to Smart City… Read More

5 hours ago

Ejen Ali: The Movie Review, A Next-Level Win for Malaysian Animation

Ejen Ali: The Movie 2 isn’t just a sequel, it’s a bold upgrade that proves… Read More

6 hours ago

When Creativity Meets Comfort: LEGO® and IKEA Malaysia Reimagine Home Decor

When Creativity Meets Comfort: LEGO® and IKEA Malaysia Reimagine Home Decor With its latest collection… Read More

2 days ago

TCL Malaysia Opens First-Ever Brand Store at Sunway Pyramid by Vivid Concepts

TCL, a global leading consumer electronics brand, officially launched its first-ever TCL Brand Store in… Read More

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.