Advertisement

British hero of Finland terror attack raced to woman’s aid after hearing ‘heart-breaking scream’

'No hero': Hassan Zubier was stabbed as he tried to help others: Facebook/Hassan Zubier
'No hero': Hassan Zubier was stabbed as he tried to help others: Facebook/Hassan Zubier

A British man hailed a hero after the Finland attack has told how he was stabbed multiple times as he tried to save a stranger’s life.

Hassan Zubier insisted he was “just a person who just can’t look away” as he detailed the terror that unfolded in the south-western city of Turku on Friday.

The British-born paramedic, who now lives in Sweden, was wounded in the knife rampage that left two Finnish women dead and others injured.

He told the BBC: "I heard a scream, a really heart-breaking scream, so I turned around and there was a man standing over her, stabbing her."

He said he was knifed several times as he tried to defend his girlfriend and save a stranger's life.

He went on: "I went back to the girl, but her injuries were too severe. It was a really bad cut so, yeah, we lost her."

Mr Zubier has received international praise for his bravery in coming to the aid of others, but he insisted: "I'm not a hero, I'm just a person who just can't look away."

Speaking on Sunday - two days after the attack - he told Finnish news outlet Iltalehti he feels sad he could not save the woman's life.

Sat in a wheelchair and with his left arm in a sling, he added: "It's a sad, sad day, not just for Finland, but for the world, for humanity."

Four Finns, an Italian and a Swede were also injured in the attack, which Finland's Security Intelligence Service said was "a likely terror act".

Police said the suspect, an 18-year-old Moroccan asylum-seeker, who was shot by officers and arrested, appeared to have targeted women.

Four other Moroccans have been arrested.