Kurdish entrepreneur in UK commended for bravery, compassion during 2017 London attack

Ibrahim Dogus was awarded at a ceremony on Tuesday which recognized the exceptional contribution made by the officers and community members involved in the Westminster Bridge terrorist attacks.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A Kurdish entrepreneur in the United Kingdom has been commended for his bravery, compassion, and front line assistance to police officers during the Westminster Bridge terror attack last year.

The attack happened on March 22, 2017, outside the Palace of Westminster in London.

Six people were killed and over 50 others injured when 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood plowed his vehicle through pedestrians on the south side of Westminster Bridge.

After crashing his car, the suspect exited the vehicle and stabbed an unarmed police officer before he was shot dead by another armed police officer.

In the aftermath of the attack, police ordered Kurdish restaurateur Ibrahim Dogus to evacuate and close his three restaurants located a few miles from the crime scene.

Dogus insisted on keeping one of the spots, Troia, open to provide police officers with food and shelter while they attended to the injured.

Ibrahim Dogus' Troia restaurant was kept open to provide police officers with food and shelter.
Ibrahim Dogus' Troia restaurant was kept open to provide police officers with food and shelter.

The Kurd was awarded at a ceremony on Tuesday which recognized the exceptional contribution made by the officers and community members involved in the Westminster Bridge terrorist attacks.

Dogus said he was “delighted to accept a Commendation,” and dedicated it to “all of the people who came together” during the attack.

“My team at my restaurant were pleased to give out food and drink. But so many people stepped up on that day: Parliamentary staff, passers-by, and of course our brilliant emergency services,” he wrote on Facebook.

The Kurdish restaurateur serves as a Labour Party Councillor for the Lambeth London Borough Council representing the Bishop’s Ward and is also the founder of the UK-based thinktank Centre for Turkey Studies.

“I am proud to be British and to serve as an elected councilor. I am proud of our values of democracy and tolerance. I am proud that when terrorists try to divide us, Londoners come together and become one city.”

“I am especially proud of our police and emergency services, thank you for all that you do to keep us safe, no matter the danger, no matter the cost,” Dogus concluded.

A similar van-ramming incident occurred on June 3, 2017, when a vehicle struck civilians on the London Bridge before the suspects traveled on foot to the nearby Borough Market where they began stabbing people.

Eight people were killed and 48 injured, including four unarmed police officers, before the assailants were eventually shot dead.

Kurdish entrepreneur in UK commended for bravery, compassion during 2017 London attack
Kurdish entrepreneur in UK commended for bravery, compassion during 2017 London attack
Kurdish entrepreneur in UK commended for bravery, compassion during 2017 London attack
Kurdish entrepreneur in UK commended for bravery, compassion during 2017 London attack
Kurdish entrepreneur in UK commended for bravery, compassion during 2017 London attack