German paramedic ‘punches strapped-down Syrian in the face, breaking his cheekbone, as police look on after he attacked cops at refugee accommodation’
- Police said they restrained the Syrian man after he attacked them at a shelter
- He was then allegedly thumped in the head by the fist of an emergency worker
- Footage of the punch has now come to light and the paramedic has been fired
Shocking footage shows a German paramedic allegedly punching a Syrian refugee in the face and breaking his cheekbone while he was strapped down.
Police said they had restrained the 32-year-old Syrian after he allegedly attacked them with a ladder while drunk at a refugee shelter.
But what they did not reveal was that after the man had been tied down he was apparently thumped in the head by the paramedic’s fist – with police looking on.
Surveillance footage of the punch has now been obtained by Bild which reports that the paramedic has been fired and the police officers are under investigation.
Strapped down: The Syrian man was strapped down to a gurney after he allegedly attacked police at a refugee shelter in Kassel
Injured: The 32-year-old refugee recoils after being punched in the head by the paramedic, who his employers say has been summarily dismissed
The events unfolded in Kassel last November and were described in a police statement at the time which made no mention of the punch.
It said the Syrian man, Amar H, had drunkenly emptied a fire extinguisher at the refugee shelter before collapsing on the ground by the time police found him.
Once he came round, he grabbed hold of a ladder to threaten officers and spat in their face after he was pepper-sprayed, police said.
He allegedly continued to resist even once he was taken to an emergency vehicle, where one officer was apparently flung outside but not injured.
The police statement said Amar H had spent the night sobering up in a police cell and faced numerous charges including attacking emergency services.
But it has now emerged that he himself was attacked, as seen on the surveillance footage which also shows police apparently failing to intervene on his behalf.
Questioned by Bild, police initially put out a statement questioning whether the punch had actually connected with the man’s head or had just hit the side of the gurney.
In a subsequent statement they admitted that the punch ‘in the direction of the man’s head by the 44-year-old paramedic had been included in a police report.
Watching on: At least police officers were there when the paramedic punched the man but the footage did not show them intervening
A medical report found that Amar H had broken his cheekbone, according to Bild, prompting his furious lawyer Adnan Aykac (pictured) to file complaints against the paramedic and police
One officer is seen directly looking on as the punch occurs, while another walks around the paramedic immediately afterwards rather than confronting him about it.
A medical report found that Amar H had broken his cheekbone, according to Bild, prompting his furious lawyer to file complaints against the paramedic and police.
Lawyer Adnan Aykac accused police of ‘downplaying’ the punch in what he said was adding further insult to his client’s injury.
Prosecutors in Kassel say they are looking into the incident but their investigation is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, the paramedic’s employers say he was summarily dismissed as soon as they became aware of the allegation.
The paramedic’s alleged actions were ‘incompatible with the values of our aid organization,’ they said, adding that they wanted to distance themselves from ‘any kind of violence’.
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