A viral video circulating after the Bondi Beach Chanukah attack in Australia showed an unarmed man racing toward one of the shooters and tackling him from behind before wrestling the gun from his hands.
The man has been identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed, the 43-year-old Muslim operator of a fruit stand in a Sydney suburb who happened to be in the area. He was shot twice but is expected to survive.
“He is a hero, 100%,” a relative who identified himself as Mustafa told 7News Australia.
Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales, the Australian state that includes Sydney, called the footage “the most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen.” “That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery,” Minss said.
At least 16 people were killed during the attack on a Chanukah celebration on Sunday night, with dozens of others injured.
The event was being held by Chabad of Bondi and the dead included Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an emissary of the movement who has worked there for 18 years, as well as a Holocaust survivor, an immigrant from France and at least one child.
The Bondi Beach attack was “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video address.
The video shows al-Ahmed crouching behind a car before running up behind the shooter. After taking hold of the gun, al-Ahmed aims the attacker’s gun at him but not firing, as a second attacker fired on him from a nearby footbridge. No other first responders are visible in the video.
Moments after al-Ahmed takes hold of the long gun, a second person joins him. Then a man wearing a kippah and tzitzit, the fringes worn by religiously observant Jewish men, runs into the picture and toward the attacker, who is wearing a backpack. The Jewish man throws something at the attacker. The video does not make clear what was thrown or whether it hit its intended target.
After taking hold of the gun, al-Ahmed puts it down against a tree and raises his hand, apparently signaling that he is not a participant in the attack.
In his response to the attack, Albanese praised “everyday Australians who, without hesitating, put themselves in danger in order to keep their fellow Australians safe. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives.”
In a statement, the Baltimore Jewish Council and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore wrote they were “saddened and outraged by today’s terrorist attack against the Australian Jewish community … The loss of at least 11 lives as a result of the attack, as well as many more injured, is a terrifying reminder of the growing antisemitism that our Jewish communities face around the world. Antisemitism, hate and violence have no place in society – here or anywhere. We must speak out against all forms of antisemitism. …
“While there is no indication of any current specific threat to our community or our institutions, we are closely coordinating with our partners in law enforcement to remain vigilant.”
Jmore staff contributed to this report.
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