Barack Obama meets six-year-old boy who wrote letter offering his home to Syrian refugee

Alex's letter was quoted by Mr Obama at the United Nations in September

The six-year-old boy whose letter to Barack Obama – asking if a Syrian child, Omran Daqneesh, could move into his home – went viral, has met the President at the White House.

The photograph of a traumatised Omran, covered in dust and blood after a bombing raid in Aleppo, captivated the world’s attention and became a symbol for the suffering of Syria’s children in the civil war, which for five years has ravaged the country.

After seeing the picture, six-year-old Alex from New York wrote to Mr Obama asking for his help in bringing Omran to live in his home.

The letter, which was also brought to life in a viral video, was shared by the President on Facebook in September. He praised the boy for having “not learned to be cynical or suspicious or fearful of other people because of where they come from, how they look, or how they pray”. Mr Obama then quoted the letter at the United Nations summit on refugees saying: “We should all be more like Alex”.

In a video shared on the White House’s Twitter account, Alex is seen visiting the President with his family in the Oval Office.

After Mr Obama complimented him on his suit, he told Alex: “Everybody heard what you said. You being so nice and kind hopefully makes other people feel the same way. So I was very proud of you.”