Ramy Shehata: the Egyptian hero
Italy's government has promised to award citizenship to an
Egyptian boy who saved 51 lives with his SOS phone call to police.
Thirteen-year old Ramy Shehata is being praised as a hero
for saving everyone on board an Italian school bus that was hijacked near Milan
then set on fire.
Italy is in shock after the dramatic rescue of 51 children
who were allegedly taken hostage by their school bus driver who torched the
vehicle, reportedly in protest at Mediterranean migrant deaths.
Italian police said one of the children caught up in the
attack hid his phone from the accused hijacker so he could phone police for
help. A spokesman for Italy’s military police, Marco Palmieri, praised the
quick thinking of Ramy Shehata, who hid his mobile phone when the driver confiscated
the others.
The office of Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini
called Ramy Shehata, who is from Egypt, a "little hero" and said he
would be granted speedy citizenship.
"The Interior
Ministry is ready to take on the expenses and speed up the procedures to
recognise citizenship for the little hero," a statement from the interior
ministry said.
"The hope is to attribute... citizenship to Ramy and
remove it from the bus driver," the statement said.
Ramy's father Kahled Shehata told Italy's Ansa news agency
his family arrived in Italy in 2001.
"My son did his duty, it would be nice if he could now
get Italian citizenship," Mr Shehata said.
The Italian driver of Senegalese origin on Wednesday
hijacked the bus as it was taking the 12-13 year-olds from a gym to school in
Crema, east of Milan.
Armed with two petrol canisters and a cigarette lighter, the
accused Ousseynou Sy threatened the youngsters, took their telephones and told
the adults to tie them up with electric cable.
According to CNN, Carabinieri spokesman Marco Palmieri said
the driver allegedly yelled "I need to avenge the deaths in the
Mediterranean."
The Milan police anti-terrorism unit has been charged with
investigating the hostage-taking, during which Mr Sy reportedly told students:
"No one is getting out of here alive."
The incident prompted Italy's populist government to demand
that the driver lose his Italian citizenship.
"He blocked all the doors with chains," teaching assistant Tiziana Magarini told news agency AFP.
