Mamoudou Gassama: Mali ‘spiderman’ wows France with Paris child rescue

Mamoudou Gassama: Mali ‘spiderman’ wows France with Paris child rescue

A Malian migrant has been hailed a hero after he scaled the front of a building in Paris to save a child hanging from a fourth-floor balcony.

Video of Mamoudou Gassama’s spectacular rescue went viral on social media.

In less than a minute he pulls himself from balcony to balcony and grabs the four-year-old as a neighbour tries to hold the child from an adjoining flat.

President Emmanuel Macron has invited Mr Gassama to the Elysee Palace on Monday to thank him personally.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also praised the 22-year-old’s heroism and said she had called him to thank him.

She referred to him as the “Spiderman of the 18th”, referring to the Paris district where the rescue took place.

“Congratulations to Mamoudou Gassama for his act of bravery that saved the life of a child,” Ms Hidalgo tweeted.

“He explained to me that he had arrived from Mali a few months ago dreaming of building his life here.

“I replied that his heroic gesture was an example for all citizens and that the City of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France.”