Two young Muslim heroes are praised worldwide for their bravery and presence of mind after they jeopardised their lives to save a police officer and two women during Monday’s terrorist attack in Austria.
The heroes, identified as Recep Tayyip Gultekin and Mikail Ozen, are Austrians of Turkish descent.
A video, making rounds on social media, is shot from a nearby building in Vienna’s city centre where the incident took place. The clip shows the duo running towards the exit of the metro station and helping panic-stricken civilians to take shelter as the street echoed with daring gunshots.
According to TRT World, Gultekin came to the aid of an injured woman. "After I carried the woman to a nearby restaurant, the terrorist pointed his gun at me," he shared the details.
Despite the fact that he hid from the gunman who was carrying a long-barrel assault gun, Gultekin endured minor injuries.
Read more: Pakistan 'strongly condemns heinous terrorist attack' in Vienna, offers condolences
Praising the valiance of Austrian-Turkish men, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan video called them for saving an elderly woman and a police officer during the attack.
Moreover, Ozan Ceyhun, Turkey’s ambassador in Vienna, lauded the brave men on Twitter, linking to an Austrian press account of their deeds: “Heroes of the Vienna attack: two men rescued injured police officers.”
At least two people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in a mass shooting late Monday night at multiple locations in the Austrian capital that left the calm atmosphere of the city shattered, sending everyone into a panic.
As music lovers enjoyed an opera and young people in bars raised a final glass together before a new coronavirus lockdown, multiple gunmen opened fire in Vienna at six central locations — including one near a synagogue — at around 8pm (1900 GMT), AFP reported.