Video appeared to show the bystander, named as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, tackling and disarming one of the gunmen on Sunday.
A Sydney resident who disarmed a gunman during the deadly attack at Australia’s famous Bondi Beach on Sunday is in hospital after undergoing surgery for bullet wounds, his family said.
Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner, was praised for his bravery after video circulated showing him tackling one of the shooters to the ground. President Donald Trump called him “very, very brave,” while New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described Ahmed as a “real-life hero” who saved many lives.
Authorities have declared the shooting a terrorist act, saying it was intended to target Jewish people. Police said a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son carried out the attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades.
Video verified by NBC News appears to show multiple shooters and the moment that a man holding a gun is disarmed by Ahmed.
A video still showing Ahmed Al Ahmed disarming one of the Bondi Beach gunmen on Sunday.
In the footage, Ahmed crouches behind a parked car before rushing one of the alleged shooters from behind. After a brief struggle, he wrestles the weapon away. The shooter then backs away before Ahmed places the weapon beside a palm tree.
The video appears to show a shoot-out continuing moments later, as a second gunman standing on a bridge fires repeatedly toward people attempting to intervene.
Ahmed was taken to Sydney’s St George’s Hospital with bullet wounds, where he was pictured chatting with Minns from his hospital bed, his arm wrapped in a cast.
“His incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk,” Minns posted on X. “It was an honor to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.”
Minns added: “There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told National Broadcaster ABC that the country had witnessed “the worst of humanity” during the attack, “but we also saw an example of the best of humanity in Ahmed al Ahmed,” who he praised for saving lives.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visits Ahmed al Ahmed in hospital, in an image posted on X on Monday.
Ahmed’s parents, who arrived in Sydney from Syria two months ago, told Australian Broadcaster ABC on Monday that their son was shot four to five times in his shoulder.
“I feel pride and honor because my son is a hero of Australia,” his father, Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed said, adding that his son “served with the police” and had an “impulse to protect people.”
He later told BBC Arabic that Ahmed had been nearby “by coincidence,” having gone out with a friend for coffee.
“He saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted,” his father said.
His cousin, Hozay Alkanj, told reporters Monday that Ahmed successfully underwent his first surgery, according to ABC. “He’s done the first surgery, I think he’s got two or three [more], it depends,” said Alkanj.
Another cousin, Mustafa, told Australia’s 7NEWS on Sunday: “One hundred percent he’s a hero.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also paid tribute to Ahmed: “We saw an action of a brave man — turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him — that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews.”
A GoFundMe campaign set up for Ahmed has raised more than A$1.1 million ($744,000) within one day. Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was the largest donor as of Monday, contributing A$99,999 ($66,400) and sharing the fundraiser on his X account.
“Funds remain safely held by our payment processors during our verification process until we can ensure that funds can be transferred safely to him,” GoFundMe told NBC News.
Outside the hospital in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, where Ahmed is being treated, complete strangers came to show their support.
Misha and Veronica Pochuev came to the hospital with their seven-year-old daughter, Miroslava, to drop off flowers for Ahmed, according to the Reuters news agency.
