A shop owner who tackled a gunman during one of Australia’s most deadly massacres has revealed what happened during his dramatic takedown that authorities say helped save multiple lives.
Ahmed Al Ahmed, 44, told CBS News that he lunged from behind parked cars as the attack on a Jewish Hanukkah ceremony on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Dec. 14 unfolded, focusing only on stopping the attacker in front of him.
Al Ahmed—a Syrian-born Muslim—said events moved too fast for fear to catch up with him. He recalled jumping onto the gunman’s back and shouting, “Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing,” as he fought to rip the firearm away. “My target was just to take the gun from him,” he said, adding that he still feels “sorry for the lost.”
Al-Ahmed said he felt a surge of adrenaline and acted on instinct, focused on stopping the gunfire and protecting bystanders.
“Emotionally I’m doing something … I feel something, a power in my body, my brain and 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 and begging, asking ‘Help, help!’”
He added: “That’s my soul asked me to do that, and everything in my heart, and my brain, everything just worked, you know, to manage and to save the people’s life.”
Video of Al Ahmed’s heroic struggle—which saw him grapple with gunman Sajid Akram, 50, before the weapon tumbles to the ground, and he snatches it up and points it back at the attacker as Akram retreats toward a nearby footbridge—quickly went viral.
Al Ahmed’s family previously said he was drinking coffee nearby when the shots started and waited for an opening before charging. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said that multiple bystanders helped save lives.
Police have identified the attackers as Sajid Akram, who was killed by officers at the scene, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, who was wounded and later charged with 59 offences.
Authorities said 15 people were killed in the attack targeting the local Jewish community, as well as Akram, with dozens more injured. CBS News reported 40 people were hospitalized.
Al Ahmed was also shot—he was reportedly hit five times and has undergone three rounds of surgery—while a GoFundMe appeal for his recovery has raised more than $2.5 million.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Al Ahmed’s bravery was “an inspiration for all Australians. He is a very humble man,” while King Charles and U.S. President Donald Trump also praised Ahmed for his courage.
On Monday, Albanese announced an independent review, led by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson, into what federal law enforcement and spy agencies knew before the attack, according to ABC News.
Authorities allege the pair had “meticulously planned” the assault “for many months.”
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