The parents of a man responsible for taking down one of the two Bondi Beach gunmen over the weekend have praised their 'hero' son.
Ahmed al-Ahmed has been commended following his heroic efforts on Sunday (14 December), after two gunmen opened fire on the popular seaside hotspot, believed to have been targeting members of the local Jewish community.
15 people were killed while celebrating the Jewish religious festival Hanukkah. Dozens of others are also being treated in hospital, having sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical.
The alleged attackers were later identified as father Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram.
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It has since been declared an antisemitic terrorist incident, and Ahmed was a saviour of potentially hundreds of lives.
What did Ahmed al-Ahmed do?
Noticing a gunman standing behind a palm tree near a small pedestrian bridge and aiming fire at beachgoers in his direction, 43-year-old Ahmed - who was hiding behind a parked car - leapt out before running at him, wrestling him to the ground.
In footage that has since gone viral online, he seizes the weapon while sustaining a series of injuries himself. After turning it on the alleged perpetrator, he heroically forced his retreat back to the bridge.
After lowering the weapon and raising a single hand in the air to let police know he isn't an attacker, the gunman wields another weapon before firing again, further hurting Ahmed.
We now know that, minutes later, Sajid Akram died at the scene. His son currently remains in hospital in critical condition.
Ahmed is also being treated in hospital, having since undergone surgery for gunshot wounds to his arm and hand.
"He is a hero, 100 percent he is a hero," his cousin, Mustafa, explained. "He has two shots, one in his arm and one in his hand."
He added on Monday: "I hope he will be fine. I saw him last night. He was alright but we're waiting to see what the doctor [says]."
His mother, Malakeh Hasan al-Ahmed, has since told Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "He saw they were dying, and people were losing their lives, and when that guy [the gunman] ran out of ammo, he took it from him, but he was hit We pray that God saves him."
His father, Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmed, also told local media that Ahmed 'wasn't thinking about the background of the people he's saving, the people dying in the street'.
He added: "He doesn't discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there's no difference between one citizen and another."
The dad also told ABC: "My son is a hero. He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people."
Who is Ahmed al-Ahmed, aside from a hero?
Ahmed is a proud father to two young daughters.
Syria-born Ahmed and his parents have remained separated since 2006, when he fled Down Under while they remained in the Middle East.
The pair later flew to Sydney to reside close by.
What have people said about Ahmed?
The country's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said on Sunday: "We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes, and their bravery has saved lives."
He continued: "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 hospital."
Chris Minns, New South Wales' Premier, later shared a photograph of himself alongside Ahmed on social media, dubbing him a 'real-life hero'.
"His incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk," Minns went on to write online, adding that it's been an honour to 'pass on the thanks of people across NSW'.
"There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed's selfless courage," he continued.
US President Donald Trump also claimed in a statement he has 'great respect' for the man, adding: "It's been a very, very brave person, actually, who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters, and saved a lot of lives."
US-based billionaire William Ackman - who works as CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management - also described Ahmed as a 'brave hero', donating $99,999 AUD directly to a GoFundMe in his honour.
Topics: World News, News, Crime, Australia
Rhianna Benson