Macron makes hero Malian migrant 'Spiderman' an honorary French citizen after he saves toddler on balcony

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The Malian migrant who scaled four storeys up a building in Paris to rescue a dangling toddler has been named an honorary French citizen after meeting President Emmanuel Macron.

Mamoudou Gassama – nicknamed the Spiderman of Paris – climbed the city apartment block to reach the helpless child.

The 22-year-old, who arrived in the country only a few months ago, had already been promised authorities would support his efforts to settle there after a video of the rescue went viral.

But, after meeting the French president at the Elysee Palace on Monday morning, he was told he would be made a naturalised citizen straight away.

Mr Macron personally thanked Mr Gassama, gave him a medal for courage and said he would also be made a fireman.

Footage taken at the scene on Saturday night shows crowds watching in astonishment as Mr Gassama climbed the four storeys in less than a minute to pull the four-year-old to safety.

He told French broadcaster BFMTV afterwards: “I did not think, I saved him.”

He added: “When I took him in my arms, I spoke with him and asked: ‘Why did you do that?’ But he did not answer.”

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo lauded his actions. Calling him the “Spiderman of the 18th” – a reference to the city district where the incident unfolded – she said: “Congratulations to Mamoudou Gassama for his act of bravery that saved the life of a child.”

The Parisian fire service told how they arrived at the scene, only to find their work already done.

“Luckily, there was someone who was physically fit and who had the courage to go and get the child,” a spokesman said.

Local authorities told French media the child’s parents were not at home at the time. The father has been questioned by police on suspicion of leaving his child unattended while going to the shops. The mother was not in Paris at the time, it is reported.