Chai Brady
'Le Spiderman' Mamouda Gassama A young Malian migrant said “God helped me” after becoming an internet sensation this week for climbing four floors to rescue a child hanging from a balcony in France.
Dubbed by fans ‘Le-Spiderman’, France’s President Emmanuel Macron gave the former illegal immigrant citizenship status for his courage.
He was also offered a job by the Paris fire brigade.
Mamouda Gassama (22) was invited to meet President Macron in the Élysée Palace this week. When asked why he did it, he said: “I didn’t think about it, I climbed up and God helped me.”
The now viral online videos, some of which have millions of views, show Mr Gassama scale the building in seconds, eventually pulling the child to safety with one arm.
Solutions
Speaking to US media he said he was in the area to watch a football match. “I like children, I would have hated to see him getting hurt in front of me. I ran and I looked for solutions to save him and thank God I scaled the front of the building to the balcony,” he said.
The Paris fire brigade tweeted: “Mamoudou shares the values of the Paris fire brigade. We are ready to welcome him.”
The father of the boy dangling from the balcony of the apartment block was arrested by police, after it was discovered the child was left unattended while he went shopping.