A young Muslim shop assistant is being hailed a hero for giving a safe hiding place to hostages fleeing gunman Amedy Coulibaly after he stormed a Jewish supermarket in Paris.

Originally from Mali in west Africa, 24-year-old Lassana Bathily reportedly guided frightened customers to safety in a storage freezer as the gunman took hold of the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Porte de Vincennes, Paris, on Friday.