The Outlook Podcast Archive - I saw a smile on the suicide bomber's face

Download I saw a smile on the suicide bomber's face

In August 2006, 17-year-old Qusay Hussein was playing a game of volleyball with his brothers and friends in his home country Iraq.  As they were playing a man drove a truck onto the local sports pitch, directly towards Qusay.  It got so close he could see exactly what the driver was wearing and the smile on his face.

The truck came within a metre of Qusay before the driver detonated a devastating explosion killing 16 people and injuring 56 others. Qusay was severely wounded, blinded and given 30 minutes to live but somehow he survived. There are descriptions which you might find upsetting.

Qusay now lives in Austin, Texas where he works as a mentor for students across the American state and is studying towards a PHD.

Picture: Qusay Hussein
Credit: Qusay Hussein

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Published on Thursday, 5th August 2021.

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