The Prime Minister of the Australian state of New South Wales, Chris Minns, visited on Monday the man who disarmed one of the perpetrators of the shooting on Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday. The man was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. The prime minister informed about this in a post on the X network, writes TASR.
- Ahmed al Ahmed disarmed the gunman during the Bondi Beach attack.
- The Prime Minister of New South Wales visited the wounded hero Ahmed.
- The attack claimed 16 lives and left 40 people injured.
- The fundraiser for Ahmed raised more than A$1 million.
- The police described the incident as a terrorist act directed against the Jewish community.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was identified on social media as a bystander who hid behind parked cars before attacking one of the gunmen from behind, wresting his gun from him, turning it on him and forcing him to retreat. You can find the video at the end of the article. During the attack, Ahmed was shot several times and had to undergo surgery.
“Ahmed is a real hero,” Prime Minister Minns, who visited him in the hospital, wrote on Facebook on Monday. He appreciated that the bravery of this man of Pakistani origin undoubtedly saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at great personal risk. “There is no doubt that many more lives would have been lost without Ahmed’s selfless courage,” the Prime Minister added.
Reuters reported that for Ahmed, a fundraiser was set up for his recovery, in which over a million Australian dollars (565,755 euros) were collected in a few hours.. The biggest donor was billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who contributed 99,999 Australian dollars (56,574 euros).
Outside St George’s Hospital in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, where Ahmed is being treated, people bring flowers and cards to show him their gratitude and support. Ahmed’s father said in an interview with state television ABC News that his son served in the police and “feels called to defend people”.
A shooting on Bondi Beach has claimed the lives of 16 victims, including one of the pair of attackers, Australian authorities have announced. According to the police, the victims are between ten and 87 years old. 40 people remain in the hospital. The incident took place on Bondi Beach on Sunday at around 6:45 p.m. local time (8:45 a.m. CET), when two shooters attacked people celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
The attackers were a father (50) and a son (24). The police managed to shoot the older shooter, while they detained the other. The police confirmed that the 50-year-old attacker had a permit to possess six firearms. The shooting is being investigated as a terrorist attack aimed at the Jewish community in Sydney.
