He refuses to be considered a “hero”. And yet he certainly saved the lives of around 100 people on Friday night, as terrorists broke into Crocus City Hall, a concert venue near Moscow. A shooting, claimed by the Islamic State, which cost the lives of 137 people, caused immense chaos and generated fear throughout the world. A toll, already very heavy, which could have been heavier without the composure of Islam Khalilov, 15 years old.
“Everyone goes through this!”
This teenager was working that evening in the cloakroom of the concert hall. Interviewed by Russian television, he recounted how he had redirected several totally terrified people towards an escape route. While the murderers had already entered the room, the young man first thought of “a noisy group” but quickly understood the seriousness of the situation. “When people started running out towards the escalator, I understood that there was an attack,” he told local media.
In a video, recorded by Islam himself, the young man can be seen taking the lead and leading a group towards an exit, while bringing up the rear and shouting “This way! This way! Everyone go this way! Everyone there!” “At that moment, instinct kicked in (…). I understood that if I remained in a state of shock, I could lose my life and that of hundreds of people,” he added in comments cited by Le Figaro and the Daily Mail.
And this despite the danger that lurked. “When I was in the crowd, walking towards the door to open it, I thought they might come out of the stairs or the escalator and throw a grenade or open deadly fire. Thank God they didn’t “Nothing happened. I managed to open the door in time.”
Muslim Boy Saves 100 People During Attack In #Moscow
A 15-year-old Muslim schoolboy, Islam. who worked part-time in the Crocus City Hall, led more than 100 people out of the building during the mass shooting.
Islam guided the people and directed the evacuation.#Russia… pic.twitter.com/YCi06UaOIb
— DOAM (@doamuslims) March 23, 2024
Celebrated by Spartak Moscow football club
Hailed and applauded by the entire international community, the teenager nevertheless keeps a cool head and assures that he only did his “job” and applied the procedure in the event of an emergency. “We were shown and told where to send people if something happened. I knew where to take people to keep them safe.”
The young man, but also his very young colleague, Artiom Donskov, who escorted another group, still received honors on Monday from the high school where they are studying. According to the TASS news agency, on March 29 he will receive a decoration from the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia, a major religious organization. And, as reported BFMTV, he was also honored by Spartak Moscow, his favorite football club.