Finland killings: Briton who helped victims says he is 'not a hero'

A British man who went to the aid of victims of a knife attack in Finland has told the BBC he is "not a hero".

Hassan Zubier, a paramedic born in Kent who now lives in Sweden, said he did "what he was trained for" when a knifeman stabbed two women to death in the city of Turku on Friday.

Mr Zubier - who was injured during the attack - kicked the knifeman as he tried to save a woman's life.

Police in Finland are treating the attack as a terrorist incident.

Mr Zubier, 45, who was born in Dartford, was on holiday in Turku when he was caught up in the attack.

• Finland knifeman 'targeted women'

He said he saw a man stabbing a woman as she lay on the ground.

"I saw the severe injuries she had," he told the BBC from his hospital bed, adding that he went over to try to stop the bleeding.

"The man came back. He tried to stab me. I kicked him off. He ran away. He came back.

"Then I felt someone like hitting me in the back. People screamed. I was trying to save her life."

But the woman's injuries were so severe that she died in his arms.

Hassan Zubier suffered serious injuries during the attack

Mr Zubier said he was not a hero, but a "human being who cares for other human beings".

"It may sound silly, but that's me. I would do it again, anytime, because the world is such a dark place and if we don't help each other, who's going to help us?

"At the same time, a girl lost her life. I think it's so upsetting that I couldn't save her. This is the world we live in at this time."

The knifeman, an 18-year-old Moroccan, was arrested after being shot by police. Four other Moroccans have been held.

The two women stabbed to death were both Finnish while eight people were injured.

Police say the knifeman appeared to choose women as targets, with six of the eight wounded being female.

Prime Minister Juha Sipila told a press conference that Finland had experienced a terror attack for the first time.

Police said in a statement: "The act had been investigated as murder, but during the night we received additional information which indicates that the criminal offences are now terrorist killings."

The UK embassy in Finland said it had "been in touch with the British national and offered consular support".