A Civilian Disarmed A Gunman During A Shooting At Australia's Bondi Beach In An Incredible Act Of Bravery
“We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,”
A man was hailed as a hero in Australia after barehandedly disarming a gunman during a shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney.
On Sunday, Dec. 14, two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish gathering for the Chanukah by the Sea event to celebrate the start of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.
Videos from the attack showed a civilian man, wearing a light blue shirt and dark pants, emerging from behind a parked car to tackle one of the shooters from behind.
The man wrestled the gunman until he took the rifle, pointed it at him and forced him to run away.
The man was later identified as 43-year-old Ahmed El Ahmed, a father of two and a local fruit shop owner, who people said probably saved many people’s lives, according to Australia’s Seven News.
Ahmed was also injured during the incident with two gunshots and was hospitalized.
The attack killed 12 people, including one of the gunmen and injured 29 others.
Police have declared the incident a terrorist attack, targeting the Jewish community and the other shooter was taken into custody.
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith,” Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Sunday night.
“We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,” Albanese added.
The New South Wales premier Chris Minns condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrifying violence, saying it “represents some of our worst fears about terrorism in Sydney.”
Minns also recognised the “extraordinary acts of personal courage and bravery from individuals” like Ahmed.
“I think it’s worth remembering that in all of this evil, in all of this sadness, there are still wonderful, brave Australians prepared to risk their lives to help a complete stranger,” Minns said.
Mass shootings are rare in Australia; this marks one of the deadliest mass shootings in Australia, following one, where a man went on a rampage at a mall in Sydney and killed six people.
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