Pakistani teen, Aitzaz Hasan, killed while attempting to stop a suicide bombing at his school
A Pakistani teen boy was killed this week while stopping a suicide bombing attack his school, saving unknown lives.
Aitzaz Hasan, age 17, was arriving late to school when he and a few classmates identified a suicide bomber approaching his school located in the remote village of Hangu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Hasan chased the attacker away from the school. A teacher saw the attacker detonate his bomb, instantly killing the teen.
Hasan’s older brother, Mujtaba Hasan, says that he is proud of his brother’s sacrifice. “I had never thought that my brother would die such a great death,” he told reporters. “He sacrificed his life to save humanity.”
Throughout Pakistan, Hasan is being hailed as a hero.
“Aitzaz Hasan used to tell all that one day he would capture some suicide bomber, and his class fellows used to laugh,” he said. “But this boy proved what he said, and I am sad that he left us too early.”
The English-language Express Tribune newspaper reported that Hasan’s father, Mujahid Ali, was living and working in the United Arab Emirates when the attack occurred. Ali told the newspaper that he had returned not to mourn his son but to celebrate his life.
“My son made his mother cry, but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children,” he told the newspaper.
On Twitter, thousands of Hasan’s supporters using the hashtags “#onemillionaitzazs” and “#aitzazbraveheart,” are honoring his memory.