This dramatic photo shows the moment a 4-year-old American girl was rescued by a Muslim man who raced to Kenya’s Westgate Mall with a gun to save as many people as he could.
A stunned Portia Walton shuffled to the arms of Abdul Haji, the son of a former Kenyan security minister, as the carnage unfolded in the Nairobi shopping center last Saturday.
Haji leaped into action after getting a text from his brother who was trapped inside by Somalian terrorists, The Telegraph of London reported.
The brave man joined police officers fighting in the mall and exchanged gunfire with the militants while trying to help others to safety.
Haji was crouching with another rescuer when he saw women hiding under a table.
One of those women was Katherine Walton, Portia’s mother. Haji asked Walton to encourage the girl to run toward him.
Portia bravely burst into the open corridor, where the stunning moment was captured by a Reuters photographer.
Portia’s father, Philip, who was in the United States when the terrorists struck, was in disbelief when he saw the picture of his daughter darting across the mall.
“She’s not normally the kind of girl that would run to a stranger, particularly one with a gun,” the 39-year-old dad told the paper.
Her mother was also proud of her daughter’s bravery.
“I don’t know how she knew to do it, but she did. She did what she was told and she went,” said Katherine Walton, 38.
Haji said that he had been inspired by the girl and her courage in the midst of the siege and that it encouraged him to keep fighting.
“This little girl is a very brave girl,” he told the paper.
“Amid all this chaos around her, she remained calm, she wasn’t crying and she actually managed to run towards men who were holding guns.
“I was really touched by this, and I thought if such a girl can be so brave . . . it gave us all courage.”
After Portia was brought to safety, Haji continued to evacuate Katherine and her two other daughters, ages 13 months and 2 years.
They later reunited with her teenage sons who were trapped in the basement but escaped.
Despite it all, Haji refused to be called a hero.
“I think I did what any Kenyan in my situation would have done to save lives, to save other humans regardless of their nationality, religion or creed,” he told The Telegraph.
Katherine Walton said she was thankful Haji had showed up to save her family.
“I think I owe Mister Haji a hug or two,” she said.