Who Is Ahmed Al Ahmed? Bystander Hailed As A 'Hero' After Disarming Sydney Bondi Beach Shooter

Last Updated:December 14, 2025, 22:46 IST

Ahmed al Ahmed, a local fruit shop owner, is being celebrated as a hero after he bravely tackled and disarmed one of the shooters in the Sydney Bondi Beach terror attack.

Ahmed al Ahmed won praise for his heroic efforts to disarm a gunman during the terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach. (Photo: X)

Amid chaos and bloodshed as two gunmen went on a rampage at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a celebration of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, a bystander won global praise by risking his life to wrest the gun out of one of the shooters’ possession, proving once again that not all heroes wear caps.

43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a local fruit shop owner, is being hailed as a hero after a video went viral showing him tackling and disarming an armed man during Sunday’s deadly attack at Sydney. Ahmed charged at a man dressed in black, who was holding a rifle.

He then tackled the armed man from behind, wrenching the rifle from him with his hands before pointing the gun back at the man. The video then shows the man in a dark shirt backing away towards a bridge where another shooter is positioned, while the bystander places the gun down on the ground.

Who Is Ahmed Al Ahmed?

Local media outlet 7NEWS identified the bystander who heroically tackled the gunman and said he had been hospitalised after sustaining two gunshot wounds. Ahmed’s cousin, who is only identified as Mustafa, provided a statement to 7NEWS Australia outside St George Hospital, where he was admitted.

As per media reports, Ahmed is a father of two from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire and operated a local fruit business. He was due to undergo surgery on Sunday night (local time).

“He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside. We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent," Mustafa told 7NEWS.

‘Most Unbelievable Scene’

Online, Ahmed won unanimous praise for his brave efforts. The Sydney Morning Herald referred to Ahmed as “a hero who saved many lives."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others". He said, “These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives."

Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales state, praised the man as a “genuine hero", noting that his actions had saved several lives. “It’s the most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen, a man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless others," Minns told a press conference.

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Sydney Terror Attack

At least 11 people were killed and 29 others injured in the attack when two gunmen opened fire from a bridge on crowds at a Jewish event around 6 pm (local time) on Sunday evening. More than 1,000 people had been at the gathering which was celebrating the festival of Hanukkah.

A gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition following the shooting. One of the suspects was identified as the 24-year-old Naveed Akram, whose driver’s licence said he lived in Bonnyrigg, a suburb of Sydney.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described it as a “devastating terror attack" and expressed solidarity with the Jewish community in the country. “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation," he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials demanded strong action against rising antisemitism in Australia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused Australia’s Anthony Albanese government of having fuelled antisemitism in the period leading up to the mass shooting.

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