Syrian refugee ‘hero’ finds $160,000, hands it back to German authorities

A Syrian refugee in Germany has been hailed as a hero when he returned €150,000 ($166,408) he found in a cupboard he had been given by a charity organization.

“This young man has behaved in an exemplary manner and deserves great credit,” The Guardian quoted the police German town of Minden as saying in a statement on Tuesday. “People often report small amounts of money found to the police, but such a large sum is absolutely exceptional.”

The police said the 25-year-old man found about €50,000 ($55,596) in cash and savings books containing more than €100,000 ($111,166) hidden under a board while assembling the furniture he received from a charity.

Leaving his family behind, the man is said to have arrived in Germany last October. He is currently taking language lessons and planning to further his studies in Minden.

Thanks to him, the police are now searching to find the owner of the money.

This is not the first time that Syrian refugees have shown their honorable side. In May, a group of Syrian refugees decided to help by launching a donation campaign after Canada’s most destructive wildfire in recent memory displaced more than 80,000 near the town of Fort McMurray in northeast Alberta.