Kurdish man stops knife-wielding assailant, saves lives in Germany

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Kurdish man from the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran fought off a knife-wielding attacker in Germany on Friday, mentioning that his actions were purely “humanitarian.”

A 24-year-old man stole a knife from a store in the city of Wurzburg and started attacking people. The suspect stabbed three women to death and injured seven other pedestrians. It is unclear what his motives were.

Chia Rabiei, without regard for his own safety, engaged the attacker in a physical fight. A viral video caught how with the help of his backpack, he was able to keep his opponent at bay and managed to stop him from harming more people until local police forces arrived.

“He stabbed a young man who was sitting on a bench and was unaware of what was going on, right before my eyes. I think he stabbed him four to five times,” Rabiei said in an interview with Rudaw’s Fuad Raheem.

When I saw this, I understood that this man would attack anyone who stood in his way. I lost all fear during that moment and approached him," Rabiei continued.

The 42-year-old Kurdish father and refugee from Mahabad has been living in Germany for the past 18 months. He used to be a taxi driver, but currently lives in a refugee camp and is finishing his German language courses.

Though many applaud Rabiei's courage, he stressed the importance of his intentions behind the action.

"I get thanks from everyone. However, I did not do this to earn a medal, I did it for humanitarian reasons. I had no other reason for doing this,” Rabiei explained

Markus Soder, the Bavarian Minister-President, has opted to award Rabiei with a medal of bravery.

“You are brave enough to intervene even when it is not your responsibility and even at the expense of your own well-being,” Soder acknowledged.

“However dark this day may seem, this gives us a glimmer of hope.”

Additional reporting by Fuad Raheem