Syrian Kurd praised as hero for thwarting attempted rape in Germany

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A 30-year old Syrian Kurd is being credited with saving a female police trainee who was being attacked by a rapist last Sunday in the western German town of Wuppertal.

Fener Omer arrived there four years ago after fleeing the embattled Syrian city of Qamishlo. According to local media reports, he has been working as a car mechanic since making Germany his home.

He was hailed as the “hero from Wuppertal” by the local German newspaper Bild on Wednesday for intervening when he saw the woman being attacked by a 20-year old Afghan migrant who was already awaiting trial for the sexual assault of another woman.

“It was around half past three in the morning. I had just dropped a friend off and was driving home to my wife and daughter when I saw a woman walking along Friedrich-Engels-Allee and a man in a red T-shirt running after her. Then, they disappeared into the bushes,” he told Bild, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

Omer decided to stop his car and look into what was going on. Upon getting closer, he found the man sitting on the woman and choking her with his hands. “She was resisting, but he was very strong,” he said.

The would-be rapist fled but Omer gave chase. A 20-year-old passerby also assisted him, and together they were able to capture the perpetrator until the police came to arrest him.

According to a police statement given to the Daily Telegraph, “She fought hard and cried out for help. This alerted witnesses who rushed to her aid and drove off her attacker. They then gave chase and were able to seize him after a short pursuit. They held him until officers arrived.”

The 28-year old police trainee reportedly suffered minor injuries, but no additional details were given.

Millions of immigrants from various countries have come to Germany since a 2015 decision by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to open the border to refugees fleeing Syria and other nations, and it has become a hot-button issue, further dividing an already partisan and hostile political environment in the country.

After two immigrant males, one from Syria and the other from Iraq, were initially named as the primary suspects in a 2018 murder, violent nationalist protests flared which included crowds attacking those perceived to be foreigners. 

Read More: Germany releases Iraqi arrested for murder that caused nationalist protests 

Regarding his encounter, Omer said he was not afraid. “At that moment, I was only thinking of helping the woman,” he told Bild. “If something like that happened to my daughter, I’d want someone to help her.”

Editing by John J. Catherine