The family of a man who tackled and disarmed a gunman in the Bondi Beach shootings say that he is “absolutely” a hero..
Fruit shop owner Ahmed Al Ahmed was at the iconic Sydney Beach on Sunday when two gunmen engaged in a terrorist attack on the Jewish community gathering to mark Hanukkah.
Sixteen people were killed, including one of the gunmen, while 40 people were injured during the attack. Five remain in critical condition.
Ahmed tackled the 50-year-old gunman before taking his weapon from him, but was hit by gunfire during the scuffle. Footage of the incident has circulated on social media, seeing him hailed a hero. The footage has been viewed more than 22 million times.
Ahmed’s parents have since revealed that he was in Bondi having coffee with a friend when the gunshots began. When he found the right moment, Ahmed stepped in.
“At the same moment, his [the armed man’s] other friend was on the bridge... it seems he had a sniper rifle, or I don’t know, he tried to kill him and hit him in his shoulder,” his father told the ABC.
Ahmed was shot four to five times in his shoulder, with a number of the bullets still lodged in his body.
His cousin, identified as Mustafa, told Channel 7 Australia the family had been allowed to see him in hospital on Sunday night.
“He wasn’t alright,” Mustafa said. “We’re waiting to see what the doctors will decide.” He said doctors were monitoring when they could operate.
“Absolutely he’s a hero,” Mustafa said. “Absolutely. Because maybe he can lose his life to save the other people. I hope everyone in Australia wish everything is good for Ahmed to get back to his family.”
Ahmed’s parents, Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed and Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed, told the ABC they arrived in Australia two months ago after being separated from their son since 2006.
Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed added that she was “beating myself up and crying” after she received the news her son had been shot in “an accident”.
“He saw they were dying, and people were losing their lives, and when that guy [the shooter] ran out of ammo, he took it from him, but he was hit,” she said.
“We pray that God saves him.”
One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police, while his 24-year-old son Naveed, the other alleged shooter, suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital under police guard.
During a press conference on Monday, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon did not directly address Ahmed’s actions, but said, “There are many, many stories of bravery from members of the community.”
He added, “We know that a number of people are alive now because of the actions of innocent bystanders. And I thank them for the work that they’re doing.”
Donald Trump addressed the “terrible situation” in Sydney, and called out Ahmed’s actions.
“A very brave person actually who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives. A very brave person who is right now in the hospital and seriously wounded,” Trump said.
“Great respect to the man who did that.”
Footage of Ahmed tackling the gunman has gone viral online. Journalist Maria Shriver posted it with the caption “Heroism,” while Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna called him a “hero.”
New York Democratic congressman Daniel Goldman said, “Amazing bravery. Thank you Ahmed al Ahmed,” while Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz posted, “So shines a good deed in a weary world.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Ahmed “to show our gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated incredible courage when it mattered most.”
It has now raised over $500,000, with billionaire Jewish investment banker Bill Ackman donating over $65,000.
The Bondi terrorist attack is the worst mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania in 1996, where 35 people were killed. That event directly led to fundamental changes in Australia’s gun laws and stricter regulation of the private ownership of automatic weapons.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the fact the alleged gunman could own six weapons could lead to a possible change in the gun laws.
“That does mean restricting firearms for the general public, for the people of New South Wales, but not everybody needs these weapons of mass destruction,” Minns said. “You don’t need them on New South Wales streets.”
Calling them “horrifying weapons” with no “practical use” in the community, Minns added, “If you’re not a farmer, you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons to put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for NSW police?”
