 "Who is Ahmed Al Ahmed? The story of Australia’s hero who disarmed Bondi Beach shooter")
When gunfire tore through a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney, a passerby at the scene put his life on the line to stop a terrorist. He is not a policeman or any security personnel. He is an ordinary Australian. Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old shop owner, came forward in the moment of extraordinary courage.
Ahmed, with no protective gear, rushed toward one of the shooters, managed to wrestle away the weapon to save lives. While doing so, he suffered two gunshot wounds. Ahmed was taken to the hospital and remains under medical care.
Today, Ahmed Al Ahmed is a household name. His bravery has grabbed international headlines, as Australia hails him as a hero.
Who is Ahmed Al Ahmed?
Ahmed Al Ahmed is a Muslim who migrated to Sydney from Syria’s Idlib over a decade ago. He is a tobacco shop owner and father of two daughters aged five and six, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
He was earlier mistakenly identified as a fruit shop owner in Sydney. Many well-wishers rushed to Sutherland Best Fresh, which has now set the record straight.
“So sad to see this tragedy happen this afternoon in Bondi,” the shop wrote on Facebook. “There has been a miscommunication … on where this great Australian hero’s fruit shop location is. We do not know who Ahmed is, nor the location of his fruit shop.”
Now, Australian media reports say that Ahmed runs a tobacco shop
How Ahmed Al Ahmed tackled the Bondi Beach gunman
Ahmed was in Bondi for a coffee outing with his cousin Jozay Alkanj on Sunday when the attack took place. When the duo got there, it was shocked to see two armed men firing their weapons.
The 15-second video, which has now gone viral, shows Ahmed hiding behind parked cars before running towards the assailant. He grabs the shooter by the neck, pulls away his rifle and forces him to the ground before pointing the weapon back at him.
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View AllHowever, the shooter subsequently repositions himself and starts firing again, as reported by CNN.
Ahmed, who was shot twice in the ordeal.
A photo tweeted by TheLiberal.ie, an Irish digital news media outlet, shows Ahmed sitting on the ground after he was shot twice, and bystanders rushed to help him. Ahmed remained conscious for a few moments after the incident.
Speaking to The Australian, Alkanj described the moment Ahmed took on the gunman. “It was two shots, nothing is easy,” Alkanj said. “We went behind the cars, and we were seeing the people, they were shooting, that was very near to us.”
“He was very scared and was saying, ‘I’m gonna die, please stay with me, please tell my family’.” But despite the fear, Ahmed saved many lives.
Ahmed reportedly had no prior experience handling firearms.
How is Ahmed’s condition?
Ahmed was rushed to St George Hospital in Kogarah and reportedly had surgery.
Alkanj confirmed that his brother was still under observation and was in “a lot of pain”.
Blood donor Nancy Sharma, who spoke with the cousin, earlier told The Australian that Ahmed was “just getting better”.
Ahmed’s father, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, confirmed that his son is in good spirits after being shot twice. “I saw him last night, and he was in good spirits,” he said.
What is Ahmed’s family saying?
Ahmed’s mother could not stop crying after she discovered that her son had saved many lives.
“I thank God that he was able to do this, to help innocent people and to save people from these monsters, these killers,” the father said.
Ahmed’s cousin, Mostafa, who refused to provide his last name, asserted that his cousin was “undoubtedly a hero”. “I have not slept since I attended St George Hospital. Ahmed is absolutely a hero, 100%, he’s a hero. He has two shots, one in his arm here and one in his hand. He would’ve lost his life to save other people,” he told CNN affiliate 7News.
“I hope everyone in Australia wishes that everything goes well for Ahmed and that he can get back to his family,” he added.
Hundreds of people are indeed praying for Ahmed. Over 1,000 people have raised more than $290,000 for Ahmed on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, set up by CarHub Australia. Among donors is US billionaire Bill Ackman, who gave $100,000. CarHub Australia donated $50,000.
How Albanese, Trump and others hailed the shop owner turned hero
Ahmed’s bravery was commended by Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump. He was described as a “hero” by the Australian PM. United States President Donald Trump, too, hailed Ahmed’s heroics.
“In Australia, as you’ve probably read, there’s been a very, very brave person who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters,” Trump said. “He saved a lot of lives, a very brave person who is right now in the hospital, pretty seriously wounded. I have great respect for the man who did that,” Trump added.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, in a press conference, remarked, “I think it’s worth remembering that in all of this evil, in all of this sadness, there are still wonderful, brave Australians who are prepared to risk their lives to help a complete stranger."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the heroic act, describing it as “the pinnacle of Jewish heroism”.
“We saw an action of a brave man, turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him that he stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews,” asserted Netanyahu.
Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Zvika Klein said in an op-ed, “If there is a Jewish Nobel for saving Jews, Ahmed Al Ahmed just won it.”
“I believe the State of Israel should acknowledge him,” he said. “Maybe he should be the next laureate of the Genesis Prize,” he continued, referring to an award which usually recognises Jewish individuals.
With inputs from agencies
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