Image: Nella Nuora / Yle

Hassan Zubier was awarded Finland’s life saving medal on Monday. The paramedic, who is a British citizen and resides in Sweden, received the honour for aiding a victim of the stabbing attack in Turku last August that claimed the lives of two people and saw eight others injured.

This is the first time that a citizen of a foreign country has been given the medal.

Zubier was visiting Turku as a tourist at the time of the attack, and sustained injuries to his back, side and arm while fending off the attacker, Abderrahman Bouanane.

Zubier, who is now permanently disabled, has filed the largest single monetary claim – about 200,000 euros – against Bouanane.

Liisa Talonpoika, Finland’s ambassador to Sweden presented the medal in a ceremony at her residence in Stockholm.



Finland's president awards the medal in recognition of a deed that has been very courageous, resourceful or while risking one’s own life, and which has resulted in saving another person’s life from danger.

Eleven others, all Finnish men, received the medal this year.

