A Muslim teenager who saved more than 100 lives during the March 22 terror attack at the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow was awarded a Muslim medal on Friday (Mar 29). A report by the news agency Reuters said that 15-year-old Islam Khalilov worked part-time in the Crocus City Hall cloakroom, and helped guide people to safety by directing them to an exit during the gun attack.
Khalilov became famous after a video of him helping people appeared on various Telegram channels as well as other social media platforms. He helped guide people to safety by directing them to an exit during the gun attack.
Here’s a look at the viral video:
🛟 Fifteen-year-old schoolboy Islam Khalilov, who worked as a cloakroom attendant at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, saved over a 100 people by directing them to exit through the service areas.
Khalilov explained that he was instructed as an employee on how to act in an emergency… pic.twitter.com/ZXUqn2L1qN
— The Insider (@InsiderEng) March 24, 2024
‘Anyone would do the same in my place’
After receiving the medal from the Grand Mufti of Russia Rawil Gaynetdin, Khalilov said, “What I did, anyone in the world would do. I’m sure about it. Anyone would do the same in my place. The main award for me is just being here today.”
“Those who were on shift, all the other guys, everyone helped as much as they could. Of course, I would like to pay attention and express gratitude to other guys, Kyrgyz nationals, who also helped to evacuate people,” he said.
“Primarily, it is my upbringing. This is the way I was brought up. I was taught that you need to help people as much as you can,” the 15-year-old added.Â
Last week’s terror attack killed more than 140 people and injured 382 others. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack a claim that the United States has publicly said it believes.
Earlier, Washington said it had warned Russia of intelligence about an imminent attack earlier this month.
(With inputs from agencies)
