Mohammed Salman Hamdani
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Mohammad Salman Hamdani (1978–September 11, 2001) was a Muslim United States citizen who was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was Pakistani American.
He was born in Karachi, Pakistan and moved to America with his family when he was only 13 months old. He later became a paramedic, ambulance driver, and a New York City Police Department cadet. While on the way to work, he witnessed the smoke coming from the Twin Towers and hurried to the scene to assist. He was killed while going to the aid of victims in the World Trade Center. However, since he did not notify anyone of where he went and never showed up for work, US media speculated initially that he was involved in the terrorist attack, due to his ethnicity and religion. His remains were later found at the rubble of the WTC, and he was posthumously declared a hero.
He is specifically mentioned in the USA PATRIOT Act, Title 1, Section 102: Sense of Congress condemning discrimination against Arab and Muslim Americans. The Act specifically states:
- Many Arab Americans and Muslim Americans have acted heroically during the attacks on the United States, including Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a 23-year-old New Yorker of Pakistani descent, who is believed to have gone to the World Trade Center to offer rescue assistance and is now missing.
The documentary 11'09"01 (at IMDB) also features a segment on him and his family.
