Gassama was born in Mali . He travelled to Europe via Burkina Faso , Niger and Libya , where he was arrested and beaten . He crossed the Mediterranean and obtained papers to stay legally in Italy , but travelled to France in September 2017 to join his elder brother . News reports emphasized the similarity between Gassama and Lassana Bathily , a Muslim immigrant from Mali who was hailed as a hero in France and offered citizenship for his bravery in the Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege of 2015 . On 24 June 2018 Gassama received the BET Humanitarian Award in Los Angeles
Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege
Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege
Mamoudou Gassama