Donations for Bondi Beach hero who tackled gunman near $2 million

Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit and tobacco shop owner, saved many lives at Sydney's Bondi Beach by charging at one of the gunmen targeting the Jewish crowd

A GoFundMe campaign for Ahmed al Ahmed, the bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the attackers of the Bondi Beach incident in Sydney, is now nearing $2 million in donations after his brave act, which helped in stopping the further loss of lives on Sunday, Bloomberg reported.

 

Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit and tobacco shop owner, saved many lives at Bondi Beach by charging at one of the gunmen targeting the Jewish crowd. More than 33,000 people have contributed to the fundraiser, which was at $1.94 million as of 11:30 am Sydney time Tuesday, the report said.

 

Bondi Beach attack

 

On Sunday, two gunmen, now identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, opened fire at a crowd of Jewish people. Sunday was the start of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights.

 

Soon after, Ahmed, who was hiding behind a parked car, charged at one of the gunmen, wrestling the rifle from his hand and forcing him to retreat. Ahmed then pointed the rifle at the attacker, following which he lowered the weapon and raised a hand, apparently to signal the authorities that he was not one of the shooters.

 

The gunman retreated towards the bridge and picked up another weapon, and started firing again, media reports said. The video spread rapidly across social media, with many users praising Ahmed for actions they said helped avert further casualties.

 

According to a Bloomberg report, Ahmed sustained four to five gunshot wounds and is expected to undergo multiple rounds of surgery.

 

Ahmed lauded for his act

 

Soon after the video started circulating on social media, Ahmed was lauded for his brave act, with the US President Donald Trump expressing "great respect" for him. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised Ahmed, saying, "People rushing towards danger to show the best of the Australian character."

 

Pershing Square Capital Management founder Bill Ackman described Ahmed as “a brave hero” and said his hedge fund would create a rewards programme for others who had carried out similar acts. The largest contribution listed on the GoFundMe page is from William Ackman at $99,999.