The hero American tourist who was stabbed while protecting two women from a violent attack on a tram in Germany has been identified as a part-time model from Upstate New York, who sustained severe facial injuries in the incident.
John Rudat, 21, was hospitalized with severe knife injuries to his face after intervening to help two women who were being attacked in the eastern German city of Dresden early Sunday, according to an online fundraiser. The part-time model — who recently became a certified paramedic in Colonie, NY — was in Germany when “he saw two women being violently assaulted,” according to the fundraiser set up by the girlfriend of his brother.
His Heroic Act
“John sustained critical injuries from his attempts to protect these females, including a deep facial wound from a 6-inch blade, requiring immediate and extensive surgery in Germany,” the fundraiser said.
Photos taken after the brutal incident show blood smeared across the tram floor, along with tissues passengers used in an attempt to treat Rudat’s injuries.
One suspect, a 21-year-old Syrian national, was arrested on allegations of assaulting Rudat before his accomplice returned and stabbed the EMT.
However, prosecutors in Germany later released him, citing a lack of evidence linking him to the stabbing, according to a report from German outlet Bild on Sunday.
“According to the on-call public prosecutor’s assessment, there were insufficient grounds for detention. The knife attack cannot be attributed to him,” Senior Public Prosecutor Jurgen Schmidt told Bild.
Explaining the Situation
With his face bloodied and wrapped in bandages, Rudat posted a video on Instagram Sunday night, slamming his attackers and denouncing what he described as Europe’s “immigration problem.”
“If y’all didn’t think Europe had an immigration problem, especially Germany, let me drop some knowledge on you,” he said, his voice muffled by the heavy bandaging to his nose and above his mouth.
“It is 11:57 a.m. right now. In three minutes, that man that assaulted that young woman will be released from custody. He’ll be released from custody because he’s not a citizen of Germany, he’s not a citizen of the EU for that matter,” Rudat said.
“He’s an immigrant, an illegal one, a drug dealer, and very popularly known here, especially by the police. This is not the first time this has happened. It’s not the first time that man has beaten up women, and it’s not the first time that the other guy decided to take a swing at my face with a six-inch blade,” he continued.
“If they could do this to the people of Germany and then just get released 12 hours later — even less at this point — where is the law? Where is the structure?” he asked.
“If Germans are held to that law and that structure, but these people could just come in, swing knives and hurt, abuse, terrorize and oppress citizens of Germany, then what do we do?” he concluded.
The U.S. Embassy in Germany issued a statement urging German authorities to ensure that Rudat’s attacker is brought to justice. “We urge German authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and punish them to the fullest extent permitted by law. Safety is a collective responsibility—no one is safe until all are safe,” the Embassy’s statement read.
