The French government decided to award citizenship to the Malian-born 24-year-old supermarket employee after he risked his own life to hide customers from hostage-taker Amedy Coulibaly earlier this month.
Four people lost their lives in the hostage-taking and shooting at the kosher grocery store. But the 15 people whom Bathily led downstairs to hide in a walk-in freezer stayed safe.
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At the end of the ceremony, Bathily received his passport together with a letter from President Francois Hollande and the “citizenship kit” distributed to all new French citizens.
Coulibaly, the terrorist killed in the police operation that ended the supermarket attack, also had roots in Mali. But, unlike Bathily, he was born in France and had French citizenship.
