The Australian Prime Minister is considering giving citizenship to the Pakistani security guard who was injured in a knife attack in a shopping center in Sydney.
Dawn International Reporter
Sydney: According to the Australian Prime Minister, he is considering granting citizenship to a Pakistani security guard who was injured in a knife attack in a shopping center in Sydney.
Earlier, Mohammad Taha, who was employed as a guard, also reportedly expressed hope that he would be considered for citizenship after being injured in a knife attack.
In an interview with The Australian newspaper, Taha said that he was attacked after stabbing his fellow Pakistani security guard Faraz Tahir. A total of six people were killed in the Westfield shopping complex attack, including Faraz Tahir.
According to the newspaper, Taha is currently on a study visa, which is set to expire in less than a month. A video of Taha fighting off an attacker with the help of a stick, which is commonly used on footpaths, has also gone viral in Australia.
Asked in a radio interview whether the Australian government would accept Taha’s citizenship application, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “Yes, we will.”
Prime Minister Albanese also termed the killing of Faraz Tahir a “tragedy”. “Muhammad Taha was the second person to confront the man, the criminal, Joel Cauchi, on Saturday and that is an extraordinary act of courage,” the Prime Minister said.
Albanese added that the two men put themselves at risk to protect Australians they did not know, adding: “It’s the kind of courage we want to thank.”
