A Muslim taxi driver from Birmingham who was stabbed after he confronted a machete gang says he survived because of his thick winter clothes.
The 15 thugs punched and kicked Rafaqat Ali after he confronted them when they attacked his car.
The 38-year-old escaped with his life but now his terrified children have begged him not to return to work.
Mr Ali told Birmingham Mail: “They meant to kill me. They didn’t ask for my money. They wanted to hurt me.”
The father-of-three from Small Heath was attacked as he waited in his Volkswagen for a fare in Bristol Road South, Northfield, on Saturday 25 November.
He was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where medics told him he was lucky to be alive.
He was left covered with bruises and with stitches in his thigh.
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Mr Ali is now recovering at home but said his ordeal had left him with sleepless nights.
He said: “I was waiting for a fare and I saw a group of lads, aged around 15 to 17.”
“Luckily some people had seen what happened and helped me. They called the police and an ambulance.
“The adrenalin was rushing and I didn’t feel anything but when the nurses were stitching me, I felt like screaming. It hurt.”
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating after a taxi driver was stabbed in the leg in Bristol Road South, Northfield, at around 12.45am on Saturday.
“The man was assaulted by a group after getting out of his cab and suffered leg and hand wounds which were not life-threatening.”
