Topics: News, World News, Australia, Crime
The Syrian man responsible for taking down one of the two Bondi Beach gunmen last weekend had a tear-jerking three-word question to ask, after being given a $2.5 million cheque.
Ahmed al-Ahmed has remained in hospital since Sunday (14 Dec), after he wrestled a man to the ground who had opened fire at beachgoers celebrating the Jewish religious festival Hanukkah.
15 people were killed during the targeted attack on members of the local Jewish community, whilst dozens of others remain in hospital having sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical.
Ahmed - a 43-year-old father to two young daughters - noticed a gunman standing behind a palm tree near a small pedestrian bridge close to the beach, before running at him and wrestling him to the ground.
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In footage that has since gone viral online, he is seen seizing the weapon before turning it on the alleged perpetrator, forcing his retreat back to the bridge.
Having sustained a series of wounds to his arms and hands in the process, Ahmed - who has lived in Australia since fleeing his home country in 2006 - was rushed to hospital for surgery.
In the days since Ahmed's display of bravery, not only has he received messages of applaud from leaders all over the world, but his courage has stolen the hearts of hordes of financial donors.
On Thursday (18 Dec), Ahmed was handed a cheque from his hospital bed for a staggering $2.5 million, all of which was raised through an online GoFundMe page set up by content creator Zachery Dereniowski.
In footage that has gone viral, after being handed the giant pay slip, the hero asked one gut-wrenching question.
"I deserve it?" Ahmed asked hospital staff.
Dereniowski then confirmed: "Every penny."
Asked later what he'd say to all those that donated, Ahmed solemnly declared from his bed: "To stand with each other, all human beings, and forget everything bad behind the back, and keep going to save life. Save lives."
He added: "When I do save the people, I do it from the heart."
Following his intervention, Ahmed's mother, Malakeh Hasan al-Ahmed, later told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation of her son's efforts: "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, added that Ahmed 'wasn't thinking about the background of the people he's saving, the people dying in the street'.
"He doesn't discriminate between one nationality and another," Mohamed continued. "Especially here in Australia, there's no difference between one citizen and another."
The two men responsible for the shooting have since been identified as Sajid Akram, 50 - who died on the scene after being shot by police - and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, who remains under armed guard in hospital.
The latter has since been charged with 59 offences - including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist attack.
