A bystander who charged a gunman and wrestled a rifle from his hands during the Bondi Beach massacre, in an act of courage that may have saved countless lives, has been identified as 43-year-old father of two Ahmed el Ahmed.
Footage from the scene shows Ahmed deliberately moving towards one of the shooters as bullets were fired into a crowded lawn near Campbell Parade, placing himself directly in harm’s way to stop the attack.
He was later shot at least twice.
Ahmed’s cousin, identified only as Mustafa, confirmed to Seven News that Ahmed sustained gunshot wounds to his upper arm and hand and is undergoing surgery at St George Hospital.
“He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” Mustafa said.
“We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.”
The vision, now viewed across Australia and internationally, shows one of the alleged gunmen, dressed in a black shirt and white pants, standing beside bins near the Campbell Parade car park as he fires into a crowd gathered on the grass nearby.
Ahmed, wearing a light-coloured shirt and black pants, can be seen advancing through the car park, crouching behind a parked car as he carefully closes the distance to the shooter.
When close enough, he lunges.
Ahmed wraps his arms around the gunman, forcing him into a violent struggle before prying the rifle from his hands. The gunman falls backwards to the ground as Ahmed briefly aims the weapon at him.
The shooter then retreats towards the car park overpass, where a second gunman was positioned. Ahmed places the rifle against a tree and backs away. Another bystander is later seen chasing the fleeing gunman, throwing an object as he moves towards the bridge.
According to his family, Ahmed was later shot twice after intervening, sustaining gunshot wounds to his upper arm and hand.
Ahmed, who is from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, owns a fruit business and has no known experience with firearms. He was visiting Bondi when he saw the attack unfolding, Seven News reported.
Before Ahmed’s identity was publicly confirmed, both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns singled out the actions of civilians who ran towards danger.
“We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,” Albanese said at a press conference.
Minns echoed that sentiment at a separate briefing.
“I think it’s worth remembering that in all of this evil, in all of this sadness, there are still wonderful, brave Australians that are prepared to risk their lives to help a complete stranger.“
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach has killed at least 15 people, including a child, and wounded more than 40 others. Two police officers were among the dead.
Police say one shooter, a 50-year-old man, was killed at the scene, while the second alleged gunman, his 24-year-old son, remains in hospital in critical condition.
The attack occurred during an event marking the start of Hanukkah. Authorities are treating the shooting as a terror incident, with Prime Minister Albanese calling it “an act of pure evil” that “deliberately targeted” the Jewish community.
British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger was among those killed, his family confirmed.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the older gunman was a licensed firearms holder with six registered weapons, all of which were recovered at the scene. Two improvised explosive devices were also found and rendered safe by police.
More than 300 officers have since been deployed across Sydney to provide additional security and reassurance to the Jewish community as investigations into the motive continue.
In the midst of the bloodshed, authorities say the actions of one unarmed bystander, who chose to confront a gunman rather than flee, will be remembered as an act of extraordinary bravery amid one of Australia’s darkest days.
