BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 25 (UPI) -- A Lebanese security officer is being hailed as a hero after he prevented a suicide bomber from causing a massacre in south Beirut.
Abdel Karim Hodroj was on his way home last Monday with his colleague Ali Jaber when the two men spotted a Mercedes driving against the flow of traffic. They became suspicious since the area is a popular target for car bombers.
According to a senior official, when Hodroj and Jaber questioned the man, he said his car key was broken and he could not drive anymore
Hodroj stayed with the man while Jaber ran to the closest security post to report the activity. He was 30 yards away when the bomb detonated, killing Hodroj and injuring 12 bystanders.
"Your son is a hero," a man visiting the Two Martyrs Cemetery told Fadel Hodroj, the victim's father.
"He saved the neighborhood. He saved us from a massacre. We consider him a hero. We are proud of him," said Hodroj's uncle.
Hodroj was Fadel's only son.
