Hero of Utoya island: German holidaymaker saved 20 youngsters from massacre using rented boat



German tourist Marcel Gleffe has been hailed a hero after reports emerged detailing how he rescued 20 teenagers from the horror shooting in Norway.

Gleffe was preparing to visit the island with his family when Anders Behring Breivik opened fire of the youngsters at the campsite.

Hero: Gleffe has been praised after rescuing several teenagers

Gleffe told German magazine Der Spiegel that many of the teenagers initially feared he was Breivik's accomplace : 'They were everywhere in the water. I threw lifejackets with a rope attached to them and pulled them aboard, they were all screaming and crying.

'Some of them were shouting, 'Keep away... Don't come any closer'. Others were even asking, "Are you going to kill us?".'

Gleffe revealed how he used his initiative after recognising the tragedy that was unfolding within miles of where he and his family were staying.



He said: 'I just did it on instinct. You don't get scared in a situation like that, you just do what it takes.

Rescue: Gleffe hauled teenagers out of Breivik's grasp using his boat

'I know the difference between fireworks and gunfire. I knew what it was about, and that it wasn't just nonsense.

'I recognised the sound of the automatic weapon straight away.

'Then I saw two youths who swam away from the island. Then smoke grenades came and several bursts from the automatic weapon.

'I saw through the binoculars that there were more people in the water.'

Gleffe returned to the water no fewer than four times before he was instructed to stop by the police amidst fears for his safety.



'I took between four and five trips. After that the police asked me to stop.

'The youths were good. They supported each other and were organised, and said who needed first aid and who had to be taken into the boat first.

'They were happy to get help, but they were unsure whom they could trust,' he told the local Dagbladet newspaper.

Fatal: Rescue teams carry the body of a victim from the Utoya island

Trauma: The Norwegian Red Cross search Utoya island for victims of the shooting

A minute's silence was held in Norway at noon today in honour of those killed in Friday's bombing and massacre.