Malian man who hid shoppers during kosher market attack awarded French citizenship

Lassana Bathily, a 24-year-old shop attendant at the kosher market in Paris attacked by Islamist gunmen, was awarded French citizenship for his acts of heroism during last week's attacks. Bathily, a Muslim, hid several people in the store's freezer before he escaped to find help and inform police of the situation inside the market.

Bathily's escape from the market was not initially greeted with cheers. When he approached the police with his hands up, they at first mistook him for the attacker, and he was handcuffed and forced to the ground for over an hour before they realized the error.

A petition had been circulating in France following the incident to grant Bathily citizenship for his acts of bravery, leading France's Interior Ministry to fast-track his request.—Samantha Rollins

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