Sydney: Ahmed Al-Ahmed, who is being hailed as a hero for tackling one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach attack, has “made all of Syria proud with his courageous act,” his family in his home country said.
The 43-year-old fruit vendor had immediately sprung into action when two armed men attacked a Jewish gathering during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia, on Sunday, December 14, in what is being touted as one of the worst attacks since the mass shooting of 1996 in Port Arthur. The Bondi Beach attack left at least 15 dead and more than 40 people were injured.
Left Syria in search of a job
Ahmed had left his home in the northwest province of Idlib, Syria, almost 20 years ago to pursue a job in Australia after completing his degree from Aleppo University. His uncle, Mohammed al-Ahmed, instantly recognised his nephew’s face in the videos circulating online after the attack.
“We learned [about Ahmed] through social media. I called his father, and he told me that it was Ahmed. Ahmed is a hero, we’re proud of him. Syria, in general, is proud of him,” his uncle told Reuters.
Ahmed’s family comes from Al-Nayrab town, which was heavily bombed during the 14-year war, which ended in 2024 when a rebel offensive group had ousted the controversial leader Bashar al-Assad.
According to Ahmed’s uncle, his nephew has not returned since leaving Syria in 2006, and now works as a fruit vendor after gaining Australian citizenship.
“Since he was young, he was gallant and a hero,” his uncle said, describing him as a passionate and joyous person.
“He acted impulsively without thinking who the people were that were being killed, without knowing their religion, whether they were Muslim or Christian or Jewish. That’s what made him jump up and carry out this heroic act.”
Footage of the incident showed Ahmed bravely tackling one of the two attackers, Naveed Akram.
In the middle of the tussle, Ahmed had taken the gun out of the attacker’s hands and suffered two bullet shots during the confrontation. He seized the attacker from behind, spun him around, and took the weapon away. He then raised the gun and aimed it at the attacker, who had fallen to the ground. The attacker eventually left the scene and was later caught by authorities.
However, tackling the attacker is not the only reason Ahmed is being hailed as a hero — what inspired many was that he chose not to shoot at the attacker after disarming him.
According to reports, he was having lunch when the shooting took place. Ahmed’s brother, Huthaifa, told ABC News, “I’m really proud about my brother.”
Some tried discrediting Ahmed
After videos emerged of Ahmed’s heroic act, several social media accounts around the world tried to invalidate’ his Muslim-Syrian identity. Some claimed he was a Lebanese Maronite Christian or a Jewish man, while others changed his name entirely. Later, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed his identity after meeting him in the hospital.
On Tuesday, December 16, Albanese described Ahmed’s actions as an example of “Australians coming together.”
“Ahmed al-Ahmed… took the gun off that perpetrator at great risk to himself and suffered serious injury as a result of that, and is currently going through operations today in the hospital,” Albanese said.
Ahmed is being treated at Saint George Hospital in Kogarah, New South Wales.
GoFundMe raises millions, while home in Syria in ruins
Zachery Dereniowski, a digital creator, initiated a GoFundMe donation page for Ahmed and his family. Titled, “Let’s change Ahmed’s life,” Dereniowski said in a Facebook post, “Yesterday, 15 lives were innocently taken in Sydney. In the middle of fear and chaos in Sydney, ONE man chose COURAGE.”
It has already raised more than $2.2 million to help Ahmed with his recovery.
Meanwhile, Ahmed’s family home in Syria remains in ruins. “It got destroyed during the war. Bombing, bombing from planes, missiles – every type of weapon,” Ahmed’s cousin, who shares his name, told Reuters.
He said that Ahmed’s quick response was “the reason that many innocent people who did nothing wrong were saved.”
He added, “He will prove to the world that Muslims are peacemakers, not warmongers.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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