Featured Image Credit: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Footage which shows how a ‘hero’ bystander disarmed a Bondi Beach gunman has gone viral after 15 people were killed.
The attack took place yesterday during a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach where two gunmen opened fire on the crowd.
The attackers have since been named as father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed, 24, with police confirming that the older man died at the scene while his son remains in critical condition in hospital.
Footage of the attack which shows bystander Ahmed al Ahmed tackling one of the gunmen has now gone viral, with the man now being hailed as a ‘hero’.
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In the shocking clip, Ahmed can be seen sneaking up behind the attacker and tackling him from behind. In a brave feat, he was able to wrangle the gun from his hands.
Ahmed is now being treated in hospital for his injuries including gunshot wounds to his shoulder and hand.
Many people took to social media to share their reactions to his brave act, with one user writing on X, formerly Twitter: “A real hero.”
Another said: “The hero of Bondi Beach, who single-handedly disarmed a gunman and suffered serious bullet wounds in the process, is a Syrian Muslim immigrant who arrived in Australia in 2006. The Islamophobes and xenophobes are unhappy with that.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to aid Ahmed with his recovery, where people have donated and sent well wishes to him, including one person who wrote: “You are a true Australian hero. May you live a blessed life with your family in this beautiful country that you fought so courageously to protect.”
And another added: “A true hero, thank you for your selfless act.”
Ahmed has reportedly spoken from his hospital bed where he said: “Any honorable person, upon seeing people being killed, would not hesitate to try to stop it.”
The ages of the 15 victims range between 10 to 87, with those having been named include British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, who had helped to organize the Hanukkah event, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who had attended with his children and grandchildren and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, who was described by her teacher as a ‘bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her’.
Other victims include Chabad member Reuven Morrison and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, who was the secretary of the Sydney Beth Din, as well as retired police officer Peter Meagher, and French citizen Dan Elkayam.
