Hero who stopped Bondi beach gunman breaks silence on what happened
The Syrian man who bravely disarmed one of the two Bondi Beach shooters responsible for a heinous antisemitic attack earlier this month has recalled his split-second decision to intervene.
Ahmed al-Ahmed saved lives when a pair of gunman - suspected to be father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24 - opened fire on beachgoers celebrating the Jewish religious festival Hanukkah.
The targeted extremist attack saw 15 people murdered, including a couple in their 60s, two rabbis, a retired policeman, a French national in his 20s, a 10-year-old primary school student and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.
A further 40 people were hospitalised.
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In footage that went viral at the time, 43-year-old Ahmed is seen noticing one of the gunmen standing behind a palm tree near a small pedestrian bridge close to the beach, running at him and wrestling him to the ground.
The father-of-two then seized the weapon before turning it on the perpetrator - Sajid Akram, who was fatally shot by police - forcing his retreat back to the bridge, sustaining a series of wounds to his arms and hands in the process.
Having now been released from hospital, Ahmed - who was later handed a $2.5 million cheque for his heroic efforts - this week recalled his brush with death for the first time.
Speaking on CBS News earlier today (29 Dec) - a day after his hospital release - he said he acted without hesitation after hearing the initial shot.
"I didn’t worry about anything," Ahmed insisted. "My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people."
Asked what he can recall thinking about as he approached the shooter, he claimed he simply 'couldn't handle it to hear kids and women and [the elderly] and men screaming and asking for help'.
Ahmed continued: "My soul and everything in my organ and my brain asked me to go on defence and to save innocent life. I didn't think about it."
He added that his behaviour was somewhat instinctive, remembering: "Emotionally, I’m doing something. I feel something - a power in my body, my brain.
"I don’t want to see people killed in front of me. I don’t want to hear his gun. I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help.
"That’s my soul asking me to do that and everything in my heart and my brain. It worked to manage and to save the people's [lives]."
Of his physical struggle to take down Sajid Akram, he recalled: "I jumped on his back, hit him. I hold him with my right hand and start saying a word - to warn him - drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing.
"And it all came fast."
He continued: "I take the gun from him, of course. But I didn't think to shoot. I didn't want to put my hand in blood. I don't think I can take life of people."
Despite recognising that his actions saved countless lives, Ahmed is still reminded of those he saw perish last month.
"I know I saved lots of people's [lives], but I feel sorry for the lost," he admitted.
Naveed Akram has since been charged with 59 offences, including committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of causing wounding/grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder.
If you are the victim of an antisemitic incident or you have information regarding an antisemitic incident that happened to somebody else, contact the CST National Emergency Number on 0800 032 3263. In an emergency, always call 999.
Topics: World News, Crime, Australia
Rhianna Benson