American Mormon missionary injured in Brussels had 2 other brushes with terrorism

(Image credit: Twitter.com/JustenCharters)

last updated 23 March 2016

An American Mormon missionary injured during the Brussels terrorist attacks was also witness to the Boston Marathon bombing and the Paris attacks last November, his family said.

Mason Wells, 19, of Sandy, Utah, was with three other Mormon missionaries from the United States at the airport when the bombs went off "extremely close" to the group, ABC News reports. His father, Chad Wells, said his son sustained shrapnel injuries, second- and third-degree burns on his hands and face, and a ruptured Achilles tendon. "This is his third terrorist attack," he said. "This is the third time that sadly in our society we have a connection to a bomb blast. We live in a dangerous world and not everyone is kind and loving."

Wells said he was with his son a block from the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, waiting for his wife to finish the race, when the bombing took place. Mason Wells was also in France during the attacks in Paris. His family said he is always aware of his surroundings while traveling, and they hope this doesn't impede his goal of joining the U.S. Naval Academy. How he will recover is "a true test of character," Chad Wells told ABC News. "He was blessed significantly by God. We see a blessing by this, not a terrible curse."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox