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German schoolboy attacked in Canterbury Daniel Ezzedine 'wakes from coma', says family
16:28, 25 June 2019
updated: 16:40, 25 June 2019
A German schoolboy left fighting for his life after a suspected gang attack has woken from his coma, according to his family.
Daniel Ezzedine, 17, was airlifted to hospital after suffering horrific injuries when he was assaulted in Rose Lane, Canterbury on June 6.
He was put in an induced coma after initially being given a 30% chance of survival by doctors.
His family have confirmed today that after nearly three weeks he is now awake, although it is too soon to say how far his condition has improved.
It comes after a further three arrests were made in connection with the assault yesterday.
The three boys who were arrested are from Canterbury and aged 15, 16 and 17, bringing the total number of arrests to 10.
Among them were five teenagers from Canterbury - two 15-year-old boys, a 16-year-old girl, and two boys aged 16 and 17 - a 17-year-old boy from Margate, and a 44-year-old man suspected of assisting an offender.
In a heart-breaking post, his brother, Bassam Ezzedin, asked well-wishers via Facebook to keep Daniel in their prayers last week, calling his little brother "my lion" and saying: "I am infinitely proud of you".
The attack, which took place in the heart of Canterbury near Whitefriars shopping centre, shocked the city and led to an outpouring of support for Daniel and his relatives.
The German student, who is of Lebanese descent, was in England for a graduation trip with his class and had been due to fly home the day after the incident.
Flowers and cards were left at the scene between Tesco Metro and Primark, while a fundraiser set up to cover the cost of his family's travel to the UK so they can be by his bedside has raised more than £14,000.
His mother, as a non-EU citizen, had to wait three days to travel to see her son because of visa issues eventually resolved by Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
Police have yet to confirm if they believe the attack was racially motivated.