'A good deed in the name of all Afghans'

Amir Najiarzadeh is a 20-year-old security guard at the Olympia Einkaufszentrum, the shopping center outside which a young man, believed to be a right-wing extremist, opened fire earlier this month.

Najiarzadeh sprang into action shortly after shots rang out, bringing around 200 people who ran into the mall to safety in its basement.

He is also a refugee, who fled Afghanistan and has lived in Germany for three and a half years.

Reports of his act have been proof of a positive message in a climate of intensified fear between refugees and others in German society, in a week that saw a couple of attacks by refugees in the country.

While he said he was acting out of humanity, Najiarzadeh expressed happiness in an interview with DW that his story paints a picture opposite to that of the terrorists in Europe, who have "stained the name" of their countries of origin.

DW: Your name has recently been in headlines in the German media. How did it come to this?

Amir Najiarzadeh: It was really not a big deed that I carried out. I simply acted out of humanity. Whether German or refugee, every person is equal. If I could have, I would have seized the attacker and taken away his weapon, but that wasn't possible. What I was able to do, however, was to bring this large group of people to safety.

The police told us that the attacker was possibly inside the building, so I brought them down into the basement, two stories below. Among the people that sought protection in this side building of the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum were a few unaccompanied children and a pregnant woman. After I took them to safety, I went back up to the shopping area in order to ensure it was safe there too.

What propelled you in these moments? What was your motivation?

I didn't have any particular motivation. I was simply afraid myself. You hear all the time about these gruesome acts in other countries carried out by IS and other terrorists. These images were going through my head. But I wasn't afraid for myself. I was afraid for the people. The entire time I was worried that the attacker would also come into this building and hurt these innocent people. My own life wasn't important in that moment.

I work as a security guard and it is my duty to protect others.

It has been reported that many recent terror attacks were committed by people who have come to Europe from countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran. Was that going through your head?

I heard about the axe attack in Würzburg. At first it was said that the attacker was Afghan, but then later that he actually came from Pakistan. For the entire time during the shooting I was hoping that he was neither Afghan nor Muslim. These people have stained the name of Islam and their countries of origin, and it's a shame for us.

Do you see yourself as a hero?

I am glad that I could do a good deed in the name of all Afghans. I would like the people here to know that we are not terrorists, and that it is not us who spread terror throughout the world. Germany should know that we couldn't do something like that. When we are given something, then we also give something in return. I hope that I have conveyed that.

The interview was conducted by Amanullah Jawad.