The bystander who disarmed one of the alleged Bondi shooters on Sunday has been labelled a “real-life hero” whose incredible bravery saved countless lives.
Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two and shop owner, is currently in hospital with injuries to his left arm after he was shot several times. He remains in a critical but stable condition after undergoing his first surgery successfully.
“Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk,” NSW Premier Chris Minns wrote on social media.
“It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.
“There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage.”
Sixteen people, including one of the alleged gunmen, were killed in the mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday. Authorities have confirmed it was an antisemitic terrorist attack.
The shooting occurred during a Chanukah by the Sea event at Archer Park, adjacent to Bondi Beach, where hundreds of people had gathered to mark the start of the Jewish festival. At least 42 people were injured.
One of the alleged gunmen, Naveed Akram, 24, is in police custody while the other, his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram, was killed.
Viral footage showed Ahmed running from behind a car towards one of the shooters, tackling him and wrestling the gun from his hands.
His parents spoke to ABC News, saying Ahmed had been having a coffee with a friend in Bondi when he heard the shooting start.
“When he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving, the people dying in the street,” his father said.
“He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”
Ahmed is an Australian citizen originally from Syria.
People around the world praised Ahmed’s incredible courage on Sunday. More than 30,000 people have donated to a GoFundMe page which has raised over $1.9 million at the time of publishing.
Donors include high-profile billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackerman, who donated $99,999 to Ahmed.
CarHub Australia, which started the GoFundMe page, said Ahmed’s actions “prevented the loss of countless more lives”.
“In a moment of chaos and danger, he stepped forward without hesitation. His actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety. Early reports indicate he was shot twice in the process while protecting others,” the page states.
“This GoFundMe has been created to show our gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated incredible courage when it mattered most.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to meet with Ahmed later today.
“It was extraordinary, that footage of essentially creeping up behind a gunman who’s involved in a mass shooting, and he was unarmed, and as a consequence he was shot twice as well, which is why he is in hospital,” Albanese told Nova.
“He is a hero and that needs to be recognised and I’m absolutely certain that we will do that.”