A Sydney father-of-two is being praised as a hero after risking his life to take down a gunman during a horrifying mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, owns a fruit shop in Sutherland and had no experience with firearms when he stepped into the line of fire.
But that didn’t stop him from leaping into action in what’s now being called an act of incredible bravery.
Ahmed was shot twice during the confrontation and is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery.
“He’s in hospital and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” his cousin Mustafa told 7News.
“We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.”
Caught in the chaos, Ahmed made a split-second decision
Footage captured the moment Ahmed, dressed in a white shirt, crouched behind a car in a Bondi Beach carpark just metres from one of the shooters.
As gunfire erupted, he waited for the right moment, then sprinted through the parked cars and grabbed the shooter in a headlock from behind.
The struggle lasted around five seconds before Ahmed successfully wrestled the gun away. The gunman stumbled back, and Ahmed pointed the weapon at him as he backed off toward a nearby bridge.
Video later showed Ahmed sitting on the ground with a visible leg injury while bystanders rushed to help. One man brought over a towel to stem the bleeding, and responders were seen supporting him from behind.
Despite being wounded, Ahmed managed to place the gun safely against a tree.
