‘My son is a hero’: Family of man who tackled Sydney gunman says it was ‘matter of conscience’

Ahmed al Ahmed, likely to need further surgery after being shot repeatedly, reportedly says ‘he’d do it again’; NSW premier: ‘More lives would have been lost if not for his selfless courage’

The family of an unarmed bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen in Sunday’s massacre at a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia, says he is a hero who acted on instict to save innocent lives.

Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was identified on social media as the bystander who hid behind parked cars before charging at the terrorist from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground.

“My son is a hero. He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people,” Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told state broadcaster ABC News in an interview.

He said that Ahmed, the father of two daughters, is an Australian citizen and sells fruits and vegetables. He came to Australia from Syria in 2006, while they only arrived in the country a few months ago.

“When he saw people lying on the ground and the blood, quickly his conscience pushed him to attack one of the terrorists and take away his weapon,” Mohamed Fateh said.

His mother told ABC that “he saw they were dying, and people were losing their lives, and when that guy [the shooter] ran out of ammo, he took it from him, but he was hit,” she said. “We pray that God saves him.”

Ahmed’s father said that “when he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving, the people dying in the street.”

He said his son “doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”

Ahmed was shot four to five times in his shoulder and hand, with several of the bullets still lodged inside him, his parents said.

Jozay Alkanji, Ahmed’s cousin, speaking while he was leaving the hospital in Sydney on Monday evening, said: “He’s done the first surgery. I think he’s got two or three surgeries, that depends on the doctor, what he says.”

Another cousin, Mustafa al-Asaad, told the Al Araby television network that Ahmed jumped into action as a “humanitarian act.”

“When he saw people dying and their families being shot, he couldn’t bear to see people dying,” he said, according to the Guardian.

“It was a humanitarian act, more than anything else. It was a matter of conscience… He’s very proud that he saved even one life,” Mustafa was quoted as saying. “When he saw this scene, people dying of gunfire, he told me, ‘I couldn’t bear this. God gave me strength. I believe I’m going to stop this person killing people.’”

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales, visited Ahmed in the hospital on Monday and wrote on social media that he was “a real-life hero.”

“Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk,” wrote Minns. “There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage.”

Sam Issa, Ahmed’s immigration lawyer, also visited him in the hospital on Monday night and told the Sydney Morning Herald that “he doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him.”

Issa said that Ahmed was granted Australian citizenship in 2022, and that he’s “a humble man, he’s not interested in coverage, he just did what he was compelled to do as a human being on that day.”

“He gets that gratitude from being in Australia. This is his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship,” his attorney added.

Outside St George Hospital in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, where Ahmed is being treated, strangers came to show their support.

Misha and Veronica Pochuev came to the hospital with their seven-year-old daughter, Miroslava, to drop off flowers for Ahmed.

“My husband is Russian, my father is Jewish, my grandpa is Muslim. This is not only about Bondi, this is about every person,” Veronica said.

Miroslava held the bouquet with a note that read “To Ahmed: for courage and saved lives.”

The shooting took place during a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where some 2,000 people had gathered to mark the first night of the Jewish holiday.

The two assailants opened fire on the crowd with rifles, killing at least 15, including a 10-year-old girl, multiple rabbis and a Holocaust survivor.