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Le Monde

Man who helped pregnant woman hanging from ledge speaks out

The man has been hailed as one of the heros of Saturday night’s tragic events.

THE MAN THAT helped a pregnant woman hanging from a ledge at the Bataclan concert hall has spoken out.

Identified only as Sebastian, the heroic figures he has told a French newspaper about the chaotic scenes inside the venue.

In mobile phone footage that captured of people fleeing the theatre, the hanging woman can be heard to shout: “Help, help, I’m pregnant, catch me if I fall.”

In an interview with La Provence, Sebastian says that when the first gunshots were heard concert goers were sure that it was a pyrotechnic effect.

After seeing someone next to him shot in the head and rushing towards the backstage area to find an emergency exit, he went up to the first floor where he found the pregnant woman hanging out of the window holding onto the ledge.

“I held on for five minutes and then the pregnant woman, who was exhausted, asked me to help her get back inside – and that is what I did,” he said.

This video contains content that some readers may find disturbing. 

CCTV News / YouTube

After that he attempted to return to where he was hiding before – and was lying on the floor when he felt one of the terrorists push a rifle against his leg and shout “get down! get down!”

After this around 15 people were held hostage by the group, and were ordered to contact media outlets and to burn money.

The gunman then told the group that the attacks were in retaliation for bombing carried out by France in Syria.

Yesterday an Irish couple told RTÉ about their miraculous escape from the venue where 89 people were killed, saying that they had pretended to be dead on the ground.

Read: Three people have been arrested in Germany in connection with the Paris attacks

Also: Is Ireland adequately prepared to defend a terrorist attack? 91% say No

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Michael Sheils McNamee
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