Polish driver who ‘fought back’ against Berlin attacker hailed as hero — RT News
The Polish driver whose truck was hijacked within the terrorist assault that left 12 folks useless in Berlin on Monday has been hailed as a hero. A marketing campaign is gathering momentum to award the person the Order of Merit, Germany’s highest ornament.
Lukasz Urban, who lived within the small Polish village of Roznowo, some 40km south of Szczecin, close to the German border, was discovered shot useless within the cabin of his truck after the assault on a Christmas market in Berlin, which left 12 folks useless and 48 extra injured.
Urban seems to have fought suspected terrorist Anis Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, till the very second the heavy automobile rammed into the group on the market.
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The investigation believes the injuries on Urban’s physique could point out that he tried to steer the truck away from the route the hijacker was driving, in a determined effort to save lots of lives.
After initially heading straight by means of the Christmas market by the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, the truck then took a left flip and stopped outdoors the market, in response to German tabloid Bild, which reconstructed the course of occasions primarily based on police reviews.
Ariel Zurawski, the proprietor of the truck and Urban’s cousin, informed Bild that the Polish police confirmed him a photograph of the motive force’s physique to substantiate the id. “It was ugly. There have been knife wounds, bullet wounds. His face was swollen and regarded like after a battle,” Zurawski said.
A Change.org petition to award Urban the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Germany’s Federal Order of Merit, had gathered over 9,000 signatures as of Friday.
“With this heroic act, he most likely saved many lives and gave an amazing increase to the friendship and reconciliation between our nation and Poland. All Germans, not solely residents of Berlin, have a cause to recollect him and to thank his spouse and son,” the petition says.
At dwelling, individuals are elevating cash for Urban’s household, and a Go Fund Me initiative has collected €128,000 (US$133,500) since its launch. On his Facebook web page, Zurawski stated he had been contacted by an unlimited variety of folks asking how they might help the late Pole’s household.
Urban’s Polish colleagues describe him as “one of the crucial dependable drivers,” in response to Deutsche Welle. At Zurawski’s hauler firm, Urban was nicknamed ‘Inspector’.
“Lukasz was very meticulous, he appreciated all the pieces to be so as,” his cousin informed the information company. “I may all the time make sure that he would stick 100 % to each journey time, each legislation and visitors regulation. You do not discover staff like him anymore.”
