Young Man Rescues Hundreds Of People From Being Killed By Jihadist Suicide Bomber

A schoolboy has been hailed a hero after sacrificing his own life to save classmates from a Pakistan suicide bomber.

Aitzaz Hassan, aged around 14, died in hospital after stopping the bomber, who blew himself up, at the gates of his school in the northwestern district of Hangu on Monday.

His father Mujahid Ali Bangash, 55, said he felt not sadness but pride at his son’s death.

‘Aitzaz has made us proud by valiantly intercepting the bomber and saving the lives of hundreds of his fellow students,’ he said.

‘I am happy that my son has become a martyr by sacrificing his life for a noble cause.’

Bangash works in the UAE and was only able to reach Ibrahimzai village, which lies in an area of Hangu dominated by minority Shiite Muslims, the day after his son’s funeral.

‘Many people are coming to see me but if they try to express sympathy, I tell them to congratulate me instead on becoming the father of a martyr,’ he said.

‘I will be even more than happy if my second son also sacrifices his life for the country.’

Police official Shakirullah Bangash told AFP that Aitzaz intercepted the bomber some 150 metres (490 feet) away from the main gate of the school, which has around 1,000 students, most of them Shiite.

The schoolchildren were the target of the attack, he added.

News of Hassan’s bravery also led to an outpouring of tributes on social media.

[H/T Mail Online]