Hero 'riddled with bullets' after stopping Bondi Beach terrorist says he'd 'do it again'
Ahmed al Ahmed, the man being hailed as a hero around the world for disarming one of the gunmen during Australia’s Bondi Beach terrorist attack Sunday, said he doesn’t regret putting his own life at risk to save others and would “do it again.”
The 44-year-old Syrian-born Sydney shop vendor and father of two young girls is recovering in hospital after being “riddled with bullets” during his courageous act, but remains in “good spirits,” according to people close to him quoted by various media outlets.
In a widely-circulated video, Ahmed is seen crouching behind a parked car as one of the gunmen fires into a crowd of innocent people gathered for a Hanukkah beach party.
He quickly charges the shooter from behind and wrestles what appears to be a shotgun away from him. As the man falls to the ground and struggles to his feet before retreating away, Ahmed lays the rifle against a tree, raises his right arm in the air and tries to seek cover.
In the extended video, the shooter is seen briefly seeking cover behind a light pole before moving to a nearby pedway where the other shooter is firing from a rifle.
The hero who disarmed the shooter at Bondi Beach, Australia, is a 43-year-old Muslim man named Ahmed al Ahmed.
— ???????????????????? ???? (@JimmyJ4thewin) December 14, 2025
His courage and quick action saved countless lives today. ✊ pic.twitter.com/amZvt9u4RN
The camera briefly pans back to where Ahmed is huddled, showing another man doing something to the rifle before appearing to be shot. He appears to be shot again as he flees from the gunfire.
The shooters were later identified by Australian media as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram . The father reportedly died at the scene while his son was wounded and is expected to survive his injuries.
Ahmed’s immigration lawyer, Sam Issa, told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday that his client is in a lot of pain after being shot five times in the left arm while acting selflessly to stop the older of the two from taking more lives.
“He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets,” Issa said. “Our hero is struggling at the moment.”
His father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that Ahmed was shot by Naveed during the tussle for the gun with his father. He said some of the bullets are still lodged in Ahmed and will require more surgeries to remove.
He expressed immense pride in his son’s valiant actions, which he told the BBC were “driven by his sentiment, conscience and humanity.”
“When he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving, the people dying in the street,” the elder Ahmed said, as reported by ABC. “He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another.”
Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, visited with Ahmed at St. George Hospital Monday, sharing a photo on X showing the “real-life hero” lying in bed with bandages on his left hand and arm.
“It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW,” Minns wrote.
“There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage.”
Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.
— Chris Minns (@ChrisMinnsMP) December 15, 2025
It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW. pic.twitter.com/3xNBW8vxvZ
Ahmed was at Bondi Sunday evening to have coffee with his cousin, Jozay Alkanj, who told the Herald they were offered food as they passed the Hanukkah event shortly before the shooting occurred. As shots rang out around them as they hid behind cars, he said Ahmed jumped into action.
“He said, ‘I’m going to die — please see my family (and tell them) that I went down to save people’s lives’,” Alkanj said.
His mother, Malakeh Hasan al Ahmed, speaking to ABC, said they were now praying “that God saves him.”
Back in his native Syria, his uncle, Mohamed Ahmed al Ahmed, told BBC Arabic that his nephew “made us proud, our village, Syria, all Muslims and the entire world.”
As reported by the Herald, Ahmed arrived in Australia after fleeing civil war in his homeland in 2006 and obtained citizenship in 2022. While initial reports identified him as a fruit seller, Ahmed has been the owner and operator of a tobacco and specialty convenience store since 2021, according to News Corp Australia.
The lawyer said Ahmed, whose daughters are three and six years old, feels “indebted” to the Australian community and acted as one of its members.
“Ahmed’s a humble man, he’s not interested in coverage, he just did what he was compelled to do as a human being on that day,” he said. “He gets that gratitude from being in Australia. This is his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship.”
His decisive actions have resonated around the world and resulted in several GoFundMe campaigns raising money for him and his family, the biggest of which is approaching its new goal of AU$1.7 million (CA$1.56M) as of Monday night in Australia.
“In a moment of chaos and danger, he stepped forward without hesitation. His actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety,” wrote campaign organizers Car Hub Australia, which kickstarted the donations with a AU$50,000 contribution.
Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management and a fierce supporter of Israel, put forward AU$99,999 for Ahmed, whom he called a “brave hero” on X.
Australian TV personality Lauren Dunn, who was on the beach as the attack occurred, also celebrated Ahmed’s courage and what it means to Australia.
“That guy that was shooting was just shooting frantically into the crowd, (Ahmed) saved so many people and I can’t say how proud of him I am,” she said, as reported by BBC .
“I’m proud to be an Australian in our multi-cultural society where everyone should be safe.”
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