Australian bystander disarms suspected shooter in Australia Hanukkah attack
Harrowing footage from the Hanukkah shooting in Sydney, Australia, shows a bystander tackling and disarming one of the gunmen on Sunday.
The footage shows the bystander sneak up on the shooter as he is firing on victims off-screen. The man then tackled the shooter and wrenched the gun away from him. He then turned the weapon on the shooter, but did not fire.
The hero has been identified by Australian media as Ahmed al-Ahmad, 43. The man's cousin, Mustafa al-Ahmad, told Australia's News 7 that Ahmed was shot once in the arm and once in the shoulder. The injuries came when the second gunman fired on Ahmed after he tackled the first man.
"He's a hero. One hundred percent a hero. Once we saw on social media, he's one hundred percent a hero," Mustafa told the outlet.
Ahmed is currently in surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Australian media.
Praise and gratitude poured in for Ahmed on social media as the footage of his takedown spread.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the man as "brave" in a statement regarding the shooting. Netanyahu had initially stated that the man who intervened was a Jew, but that was before Ahmed was identified.
"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," Netanyahu said.
Chris Minns, the premier of Australia's New South Wales state, also hailed Ahmed as a hero.
"That man is a genuine hero, and I've got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery," Minns said in a statement.
Sunday's shooting killed at least 11 people and hospitalized at least 28. One of the gunmen was killed and the other remains in critical condition.
Australian authorities have confirmed the attack targeted the Jewish community, which was celebrating the first day of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach.
Neither of the shooters have been identified.