Anas Modamani, a young Syrian who had just arrived in Germany, saw a limousine and decided it was his chance for a selfie with a woman he then believed to be a "famous actress". Within hours the snapshot of the 18-year-old refugee and the chancellor became a symbol of Merkel's generous migration policy in the face of what she called a humanitarian emergency. It also changed Anas Modamani's life forever, for better or for worse.

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