The bystander who bravely lunged at a gunman and disarmed him during Sunday’s deadly Bondi Beach attack is now battling for his life in hospital. Ahmed Al Ahmed, a man in his 40s, remains admitted at St George Hospital in Kogarah with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the severe injuries, he has said he would take the same action again.
“He doesn’t regret what he did,” said Sam Issa, Ahmed’s migration lawyer, after visiting him in hospital. “He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him. He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment.”
Ahmed suffered multiple injuries, most of them to his left arm. One bullet remains lodged near the back of his left shoulder blade and has not yet been removed. According to Issa, doctors have warned that he may lose his left arm due to the extent of the damage and blood loss.
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“He’s a lot worse than expected,” Issa said. “When you think of a bullet in the arm, you don’t think of serious injuries, but he has lost a lot of blood.”
Who is Ahmed Al Ahmed?
Ahmed, a Syrian-born Muslim who arrived in Australia in 2006, became an Australian citizen in 2022. His earlier citizenship application was rejected in 2019 due to minor legal charges that were later dropped. Issa said he would now push for Ahmed’s elderly parents to be granted citizenship, calling it a chance for national leaders to recognise his bravery.
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“He’s a humble man,” Issa said. “He’s not interested in coverage. He just did what he felt compelled to do as a human being.”
Ahmed’s parents said he remains in good spirits. “He thanks God that he was able to help innocent people,” his father said. His mother said she could not stop crying after learning what her son had done.
A father of two young daughters, Ahmed had gone to Bondi for a coffee with his cousin just minutes before the attack. Political leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, have praised his courage. More than 5,700 donors have raised over $570,000 for his recovery through a GoFundMe campaign, including a $100,000 donation from US billionaire Bill Ackman.
The attack began around 6.45 pm on Sunday during a public Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Two gunmen opened fire from a footbridge overlooking the crowd. In the chaos, Ahmed confronted one of the attackers, wrestled the rifle from him and stopped further firing before being shot twice. His actions are believed to have saved many lives.
