Has 43 yearswas born in Idlib (Syria) and lives in Australia since 2006. He is the father of two little girls and runs two greengrocers in a Sydney suburb. Ahmed al-Ahmed became national hero this Sunday when, in the middle of Bondi beach, he pounced on one of the armed attackers who had just opened fire and managed to snatch the rifleat the cost of being seriously injured.
“My son didn’t think about the origin of the people he was saving, he thought about the people who were dying in the street,” his father explained. Mohamed Fateh al Ahmedin statements to the public chain ABC. “Here in Australia, there is no difference between one citizen and another,” he added.
The attack, carried out by two men against Australian Jews, left 15 muertos. According to the authorities, the figure could have been higher without the intervention of Al Ahmed, who received between four and five shots to the shoulder. He remains admitted to the St. George’s Hospital, Sydneyin serious but stable condition, after undergoing surgery this Monday.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahualso praised the civilian’s actions in a video in which he assured that the person who disarmed one of the attackers was “a Jew”, a statement that generated controversy. It has not been confirmed whether Al Ahmed professes any religion. However, his name is of Arabic origin and his mother appears with hijab in his public statements.
The moment of the attack
According to his parents’ account, Al Ahmed was having coffee with a friend in Bondi when he heard the shots. He took cover between two cars and saw one of the shooters crouching behind a tree. When he thought he had exhausted his ammunition, he approached him from behind, lunged at him and, after a struggle, managed to take the rifle from him. In a video broadcast on social networks, he is seen pointing the gun at the attacker; In another, later, he appears on the ground, injured, while several people try to assist him.
Another of his relatives, his cousin Mustafa al-Asadclaimed to have spoken with him after the operation. According to what he told the network Al ArabyAl Ahmed told him that he “could not bear” to see so many people die and that “God gave him the strength to stop that person from continuing to kill.” For his family, it was a “humanitarian act” and “conscience.”
The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albaneseconfirmed that the man was operated on and that his condition is stable within gravity. In statements to the press, he highlighted that Al Ahmed “took the gun from the perpetrator at great risk to himself” and called his action an example of “the coming together of Australians.”
International support
At the doors of the hospital, another cousin, Jozay Aljinkiexplained to several television channels that Al Ahmed could undergo two more surgeries. “He has taken a lot of medication and can’t speak well,” he said.
The citizen response has also translated into a campaign micromecenazgo to help Al Ahmed cover his health bill, which in just 12 hours he raised 500,000 Australian dollars (more than 282,000 euros). The largest donor has been the American billionaire Bill Ackmanwith a contribution close to 56,000 euros.
Shows of support have also come from abroad. The president of the United States, Donald Trumpcalled Al Ahmed “a very, very brave person” who saved many lives. The Premier of the State of New South Wales, Chris Remembersdescribed him as “a true hero.”
While tributes to the victims continue in Sydney, anonymous citizens also gather in front of St. George Hospital to show their support for the injured man. Among them, Misha y Veronica Pochuevwho came with their seven-year-old daughter to leave flowers. “My husband is Russian, my father is Jewish, my grandfather is Muslim. This not only has to do with Bondi, it has to do with all people,” the woman told the Reuters agency.
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