The Australian man extensively hailed as a hero for disarming one of many shooters in Sunday’s lethal assault at Sydney’s Bondi Seaside reportedly stated that he absolutely anticipated to get killed tackling the gunman from behind — and that he would do it once more to save lots of individuals’s lives.
Ahmed al-Ahmed, a father of two and retailer proprietor from Sutherland, was assembly his cousin for espresso in Bondi that day when two gunmen opened hearth on a Hanukkah occasion on the well-known seashore. The cousin, Jozay Alkanj, instructed native shops that the 2 hid behind vehicles after they noticed “people were shooting very near to us.”
“He said, ‘I’m going to die — please see my family [and tell them] that I went down to save people’s lives,’” Alkanj stated of his cousin, who then crept up behind one of many gunmen earlier than tackling and disarming him. Al-Ahmed pointed the rifle on the shooter himself because the gunman ran to rejoin the opposite suspect, prompting the bystander to place the rifle down earlier than he was shot twice in his arm.
“He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him,” al-Ahmed’s lawyer Sam Issa instructed The Sydney Morning Herald of his shopper, who’s at the moment being handled at St. George Hospital. Issa described al-Ahmed as “riddled with bullets” and worries the 43-year-old will lose his arm.
Footage of al-Ahmed’s bravery shortly went viral, prompting a worldwide outpouring of help that features crowdfunding for his therapy and reward from leaders. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns posted a photograph on social media of him talking with al-Ahmed whereas sitting on the sting of his hospital mattress.
“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,” Minns wrote on X. “It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns Account/Handout/Anadolu through Getty Pictures
Mustafa al-Asaad, one other of the bystander’s cousins, stated al-Ahmed instructed him God gave him “power that he never gave me before” when tackling the gunman and risking his life. Each Jewish and Muslim rights teams have since praised al-Ahmed, who gained Australian citizenship in 2022 after escaping the civil battle in Syria.
“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,” the bystander’s father, Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmed, instructed the Australian Broadcasting Company. “He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”
Authorities stated the Sunday taking pictures killed no less than 16 individuals, whose ages vary from 10 years outdated to 82. Police stated they killed one gunman, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, on the scene and are monitoring the second suspect, his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, whereas he will get handled on the hospital for crucial accidents.
“We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated of al-Ahmed at a press convention. “These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives.”
