The man hailed as a hero after risking his life to save what police believe were countless others during the Bondi Beach terrorist attack has spoken publicly about what drove him to act. Ahmed Al Ahmed, whose bravery stunned the world, says his only focus in those terrifying moments was stopping further loss of life.
Footage of the attack, which quickly spread online, showed Mr Ahmed sneaking up behind one of two gunmen and wrestling a long-barrelled firearm away from him. The images went viral, with many praising his split-second decision to intervene as lives were being lost around him.
Speaking to CBS News on Monday, Mr Ahmed described the moment he confronted the gunman, despite having already been shot multiple times.
“I jumped onto his back and hit him … ‘Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing,'” he said. He explained that fear never crossed his mind. “No, I didn’t worry about anything … my target was just to take the gun from him and to stop him from killing a human being.
“I feel something, a power in my body, my brain. I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to see blood, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming.” Reflecting on why he stepped in, he added simply: “My soul asked me to do that.”
Fifteen people were killed in the December 14 shooting, which targeted Jewish people attending a Hanukkah celebration known as Chanukah by the Sea at Archer Park. Mr Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two, is believed to have prevented even more deaths by disarming one of the attackers.
“I know I saved lots of people … innocent kids and women … I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry still for the lost,” he said.
In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Ahmed spent two weeks in hospital undergoing several operations. The South Eastern Sydney Local Health District confirmed he was released from St George Hospital on Sunday. His parents previously told ABC he was shot four to five times in the shoulder.
His mother described the moment her son decided to act. “He saw they were dying and people were losing their lives, and when that guy ran out of ammo, he took it from him, but he was hit,” she said.
His father added that his son was not thinking about who the victims were, only that they were human beings in danger. “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,” he said.
Back in his hometown of Al Nayrab in Syria, relatives and locals have spoken with pride about the man who left in the mid 2000s to build a new life in Australia. His uncle Wahid Al Ahmed previously told the ABC that Ahmed could never tolerate injustice and always stood up against wrongdoing.
Support for Mr Ahmed has poured in from around the world. More than 43,000 people have donated over $2.5 million to a fundraising campaign set up to thank him for his actions.
The day after the attack, Chris Minns visited Mr Ahmed in hospital and later described him as a real-life hero. “His incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk,” Mr Minns said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the following day, praising his courage. “He decided to take action, and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians,” Mr Albanese told journalists after leaving the hospital.
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