When footage emerged of a Hungarian camerawoman kicking and tripping refugees as they ran from police officers, most attention turned to the camerawoman, but few looked into the story of the man himself.
Now, however, a Hungarian news website has identified the man, who was filmed running with his young son, as Osama Al-Ghabad, a former Syrian football coach.
The Syrian father and his son, who got tripped up by the camerawoman #PetraLaszlo, he was a soccer coach in #Syria pic.twitter.com/desV2YaqPz
— Ahmad M. Yassine (@Lobnene_Blog) September 10, 2015
Before he fled, Al-Ghabad was a coach for Syrian football club Al-Fotuwa SC and also a board member of the Syrian Football Association, according to index.hu.
He was reportedly arrested and tortured for participating in demonstrations against the Syrian regime.
When Isis conquered his city, Deir Al-zoor, he fled with his family.
In the footage, Al-Ghabad is seen running with his son as László appears to trip the pair.
Footage of a separate incident on the same day shows her kicking a young girl trying to run away with her family.
Petra László was caught on camera kicking and tripping up refugees
More than 36,000 people have joined a Facebook group called the Petra László Shame Wall, which condemned her as a "disgrace".
In a letter to right-wing newspaper Magyar Nemzet, László said she “sincerely regretted what happened” and had been in shock since the incident.
“The camera was shooting, hundreds of migrants broke through the police cordon, one of them rushed to me and I was scared,” László wrote.
“Then something snapped in me. With the camera in my hand I didn't see who was actually running towards me. I just felt I was being attacked and I had to protect myself.
“It’s hard to make good decisions at a time when everyone is panicking and hundreds of people are running towards you. In that moment, my judgement failed.”
László was working for online television channel N1TV, which is said to have links with Hungary’s far-right Jobbik Party.
The refugee crisis - in pictures
The Independent has started a campaign for the UK to welcome a fair share of refugees.
