Thousands pay tribute to 23-year-old student murdered after trying to aid others
German government considers a posthumous bravery award for woman, 23, who was attacked after she stood up to men harassing teenagers
Thousands of Germans have paid tribute to a 23-year-old student murdered after rushing to the aid of two teenage girls who were being harassed by a group of men.
Tuçe Albayrak is now under consideration by Germany's president for a posthumous bravery award.
She died on Friday from injuries sustained two weeks ago when she was attacked in the car park of a McDonald's in Offenbach, near Frankfurt in western Germany. She had received blows to her head, from either a bat or a stone.
Blurred footage from CCTV cameras captured the moment when she fell backwards, hitting her head on the ground. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and later fell into a coma.
Her parents took the decision on Friday, their daughter's 23rd birthday, to turn off her life support machine, after doctors pronounced her brain dead.
Her alleged attacker, an 18-year-old identified only as Sanel M, from the Sandzak region of southwest Serbia, has admitted attacking Albayrak and is being held in police custody.
On the video footage he is shown with an accomplice, who apparently tried to hold him back as he began attacking Albayrak. She had earlier intervened after hearing the screams of two women in the McDonald's toilet who were being harassed by a group of three men.