Xavier Colás

Updated Friday, March 29, 2024-12:24

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Shots rang out in the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, which was packed before a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic. People ran and fell to the ground, but there was one boy who overcame his fear as the group of terrorists armed with assault rifles stormed the Crocus building a week ago.

Islam Jalilov

, who worked part-time in the cloakroom, led the terrified concertgoers to

safety

amid the gunfire.

The attackers shot indiscriminately at the fleeing people and then set fire to the concert hall. Islam Jalilov, 15, acted according to instructions for such cases: he opened all the doors and helped people find

emergency exits

and get away from danger. These days he has been hailed as a hero in Russia, a country still badly wounded by

one of its bloodiest attacks

on him.

The teenager told

Ruptly

that he acted on "instinct" at the time and used his good knowledge of the facilities to quickly organize the evacuation of visitors to another building within the Crocus City complex.

Islam, raised in Russia in a family of immigrants from Kyrgyzstan, had been working at Crocus for about a year. He told local reporters that when the attack began, he thought "some company" was doing "noisy" repair work in the hallway.

"I realized that if I didn't react, many people, including me, would lose their lives," Islam said. He added that

he was the last to leave the premises

, "so as not to leave anyone behind."

There are currently more than 10 million migrant workers in Russia from

Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

, Central Asian countries that provide the labor necessary for large Russian cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg to function.

Four citizens of Tajikistan have been accused of being the attackers. They appeared in court on Sunday and showed signs of severe torture. Therefore, while Islam becomes a hero, other compatriots begin to suffer the role of villains. Since the incident, cases of

xenophobic acts

by people and authorities in Russia directed against people from Central Asia have increased. Some citizens of Kyrgyzstan have been stuck at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport for two days after being denied entry into Russia, broadcaster RFE/RL reported.

The Grand Mufti of Russia,

Ravil Gaynutdin

, announced that Islam will receive the Medal of the Muslims of Russia during Friday prayers today. Rapper

Morgenshtern

, for his part, said that he would send the boy a million rubles (about 10,000 euros) as a token of gratitude and support for his behavior. The Spartak football team, of which this teenager is a fan, invited him to a meeting with the players and gave him a season ticket for home games.

More severe treatment awaits others. A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed to the state news agency RIA that official measures to "control migrants" could increase from now on.