Mali 'spider-man' Mamoudou Gassama who saved boy dangling from balcony in Paris becomes French citizen

Mamoudou Gassama has been awarded French citizenship
AFP/Getty Images
Sophie Williams13 September 2018

A Malian migrant dubbed "spider-man" after rescuing a young boy dangling from a balcony in Paris has been made a French citizen.

Video footage of Mamoudou Gassama, a 22-year-old migrant, saving the life of the child went viral in May.

An official decree announced his citizenship on Wednesday, saying: “This act of great bravery exemplifies the values which help unite our national community, such as courage, selflessness, altruism and taking care of the most vulnerable.”

After rescuing the child, Mr Gassama met with President Macron who promised that he would be given legal papers and offered him a role in the fire service.

He was awarded with a medal along with a French residency permit before his citizenship request was fast-tracked.

Mr Gassama was pictured with a group of new recruits in July
Pompiers de Paris

The young man had legal papers to legally stay initially, where he arrived in Europe after crossing the Mediterranean after a long, rough stay in Libya.

However he said he wanted to join his older brother in France who has been there for decades.

Mr Gassama arrived in Italy in 2014 after more than a year in Libya, where he was arrested and beaten, "but I wasn't discouraged".

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