A Muslim man blindfolded himself and stood in the middle of Place de la Republique in Paris with a sign that read: “I’m a Muslim and I’m told I’m a terrorist. I trust you. Do you trust me? If yes, hug me.”
In the heartwarming video posted by NBC Nightly News, a large group of strangers surrounded the man and then proceeded to hug him one after the other. Bystanders watching the moment wiped away tears.
The moving moment comes after ISIS claimed responsibility for killing 129 innocent people in Paris on Nov. 13 in a series of coordinated attacks. Hundreds of others were injured. Alleged ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud and a handful of others who carried out the acts of war have since been arrested or killed.
Abaaoud was killed in a police raid on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the Paris suburb of St.-Denis. He was identified posthumously by his finger prints. Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a woman identified as a cousin of Abaaoud’s relative, was also killed in the raid after allegedly blowing herself up via a suicide bomb. Eight other suspects were arrested.
Despite Abaaoud’s death and the other arrests, CNN reports that authorities are still searching for at least one other suspect on the run, among fellow ISIS followers.