A man hailed as the “Bondi hero” for disarming one of two gunmen who opened fire at a Hanukkah gathering on Sydney’s Bondi Beach has described the moment he confronted the attacker, saying he tried to warn him to stop and to drop his weapon before wrestling the gun away.
Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two, was recovering in hospital after suffering gunshot wounds when he gave an account of the split-second decision that has been credited with saving lives during the attack. “I hold him with my right hand and start saying a word, you know, like to warn him, ‘drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing’,” he said, describing the moment he grabbed the attacker as the shooting unfolded.
Authorities have said 15 people were killed in the incident, which occurred during a beachside Hanukkah event on Sunday evening. Police said one of the gunmen was shot dead at the scene, while the second survived and was later charged.
Al Ahmed’s account has become central to the public narrative of the attack, with his actions sparking a fundraising surge and statements of support from senior politicians. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than A$2.5 million (about $1.65 million) for him within days, according to a Reuters report carried by The Times of Israel, after tens of thousands of people contributed from around the world.
In video posted online of the hospital presentation, al Ahmed is handed an oversized cheque at his bed by Zachery Dereniowski, a social media influencer and co-organiser of the fundraiser. As the cheque is presented, al Ahmed asks, “I deserve it?”, with Dereniowski replying, “Every penny,” the report said.
Al Ahmed, who the report described as a Muslim tobacco store owner, said he acted instinctively as families and children tried to escape the gunfire. “When I saved the people I (did it) from the heart because it was a nice day, everyone enjoying celebrating, with their kids, woman, man, teenager all, everyone was happy and they deserve, they deserve to enjoy,” he said, raising his uninjured fist.
He also urged unity in remarks about the fundraising response. Asked what he would say to those who donated, he said: “To stand with each other, all human beings. And forget everything bad … and keep going to save life.”
Police in New South Wales have described the shooting as a terrorist attack and said it was linked to extremist ideology, according to reporting that cited authorities. The incident unfolded on a crowded stretch of beach during a religious gathering, triggering a large emergency response and renewed debate in Australia about public safety and the threat of politically motivated violence.
The Guardian reported that al Ahmed had been hiding behind parked cars before charging one of the gunmen from behind, seizing his weapon and knocking him to the ground. The same report said he was later shot and taken to hospital.
While authorities have not publicly set out a full timeline in a single release, the broad outline has been reported consistently: two attackers opened fire; members of the public attempted to intervene; one gunman was shot dead by police; and a second suspect survived and was later charged.
According to the Reuters report published by The Times of Israel, the alleged attackers were father and son. It said Sajid Akram, 50, was killed by police during the attack, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed, survived and was charged days later with 15 counts of murder, an act of terrorism, and dozens of other serious crimes.
The report also described other attempts to stop the gunmen, naming people who tried to intervene and, in some cases, were shot.
Al Ahmed’s personal background has been highlighted by political leaders and community figures who have pointed to his actions as evidence of solidarity across faiths. Reuters reported that he left Idlib in north-west Syria almost 20 years ago and built a life in Australia.
Australia’s prime minister and the New South Wales premier visited him in hospital to praise his bravery, the Reuters report said, as tributes continued and investigators pursued a case that has drawn national attention.
For al Ahmed, the public acclaim has been framed around a short, urgent exchange as he confronted a man with a weapon. “Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing,” he recalled saying, describing it as a warning, before the struggle that ended with the gun taken away.
He later spoke about Australia in emphatic terms from his hospital bed, describing it as “best country in the world” and adding, “we’re not going to stand and keep watching, enough is enough,” before chanting, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,” according to the Reuters account.
As police and prosecutors move forward with the criminal case, the events on the beach have left families mourning and communities grappling with what happened at a public celebration. Amid that, the image of an injured bystander who ran toward gunfire, and the words he says he shouted at the attacker, have become a defining detail of a tragedy that Australians will be processing for a long time.