Topics: Australia, Gun Crime, Terrorism, World News
The heroic shopkeeper who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach terror incident has shared the few words he exchanged with the attacker.
15 people were killed in the attack as they celebrated Hanukkah, where two gunmen unloaded into a crowd of men, women, and children.
A moment of hope in the senseless tragedy emerged when footage of one man bravely leaping out and disarming one of the attackers began to spread.
Syrian-born Australian Ahmed al Ahmed's actions during the attack on December 14, prevented further people from dying, but also saw him shot multiple times.
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In an interview with CBS, Ahmed revealed that, during that viral moment, he was not thinking about the danger to his own life, but the lives that would be lost if he did not stop the shooter. "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," he said.
After rushing out from behind a parked car, Ahmed grappled with one of the assailants, making a short demand to him before taking the weapon. He said: "I hold him with my right hand and start saying a word, you know, like to warn him - 'drop your gun, stop doing what you're doing.'"
Once the weapon was taken and the attacker had fled, the other gunman turned his attention to Ahmed and shot him five times.
But despite his new worldwide fame as a hero, Ahmed still can't help but think about the more than a dozen people who lost their lives in the antisemitic attack. "I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost."
But in that moment, all he could think about was what he had to do, he said: "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."
The shopkeeper said he was moved to action by a deeply felt desire to see the madness end. Sharing his mindset, Ahmed explained: "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, and that's my soul asking me to do that."
Ahmed ended up as one of the 40 people hospitalized as a result of the terror attack, undergoing three rounds of surgery for his bullet wounds. He had been left without full function in his left arm as a result of his injuries.
But while in hospital, he received a number of high-profile guests who wanted to thank him for his bravery, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who said to Ahmed: "Your heart is strong, your courage is inspiring.”
In the days and weeks since the mass gun attack, Australia's worst in two decades, police have identified father and son 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram. The father was shot dead by police at the scene.
Naveed has since been charged with 59 offences relating to the attack.
