“I tell Damien Guerot, who takes care of his visa applications, that he is welcome here and that he can stay as long as he wants,” Mr. Albanese said.
The Prime Minister praised Mr Guerot, thanking him for his “extraordinary bravery” when he confronted Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old mentally ill man, on an escalator to prevent him from doing other victims.
“Extraordinary bravery”
“He is someone we would happily welcome as an Australian citizen, although of course it would be a loss for France. We thank him for his extraordinary bravery,” he added. Damien Guerot has been nicknamed “the man at the pole” and described as a “hero” for intervening in Saturday’s stabbing attack at a busy Sydney shopping centre.
“It says a lot about human nature, when we face difficult issues, that a person who is not a citizen of this country stood courageously at the top of that escalator and stopped this attacker from gaining a another floor and potentially commit further carnage,” Albanese said.
Five women and a Pakistani security guard were killed in the attack, which was not blamed on terrorism. Police are investigating whether the attacker specifically targeted women.