Millions are pledged to a Syrian Australian man who stopped a gunman and became a national hero

In a moment of terror at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach, a Syrian-Australian shop owner emerged as an unlikely hero, tackling an armed gunman during a deadly attack that claimed 15 lives at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.

Ahmed al Ahmed, 44, was enjoying a summer evening coffee near the shore when gunmen opened fire on the festive gathering. Surveillance footage, now viewed by millions worldwide, captured al Ahmed’s extraordinary response—crouching between parked cars before charging directly at one of the attackers, wrestling away his shotgun, and turning it on the gunman.

The father of two’s brave intervention has captivated Australia, offering a ray of hope amid one of the nation’s darkest tragedies. His actions abruptly halted what could have been an even deadlier rampage at the beachside celebration.

“At a moment where we have seen evil perpetrated, he shines out as an example of the strength of humanity,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remarked Tuesday after visiting al Ahmed at the Sydney hospital where he’s recovering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Public gratitude has poured in through a fundraising campaign that raised AU$2.3 million (US$1.5 million) from approximately 40,000 donors within days. Among the contributors was billionaire hedge fund manager William Ackman, who pledged AU$99,000 to support the hero’s recovery.

Al Ahmed faces a challenging road ahead. He sustained serious injuries to his left arm when the second attacker fired indiscriminately from a nearby footbridge. According to Lubaba alhmidi Alkahil, a spokesperson for the Australians for Syria Association who visited him in hospital, al Ahmed has already undergone surgery with more operations scheduled. The “quiet and humble” man remains conscious but frail and faces at least six months of recovery.

Meanwhile, tributes continue to accumulate outside al Ahmed’s small tobacco shop in suburban Sydney. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who visited al Ahmed in hospital, reported that the hero told him he would take the same action again if faced with similar circumstances. Minns described al Ahmed’s intervention as saving “countless” lives during “the most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen.”

World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Australia’s Governor General, have publicly praised al Ahmed’s courage.

His background offers insights into his instinctive response. Before immigrating to Australia in 2006, al Ahmed lived in Nayrab in Syria’s Idlib region, where he served with the police and central security forces. He left Syria five years before the 2011 mass protests that eventually spiraled into the country’s devastating civil war. His hometown was later heavily bombed by government forces under President Bashar Assad.

“Ahmed did really a heroic job,” his cousin Mohammad al Ahmed told The Associated Press. “Without any hesitation, he tackled the terrorist and disarmed him just to save innocent people.”

Al Ahmed’s parents, who recently reunited with their son in Sydney this year, spoke proudly of his actions. His father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that his son’s “conscience and soul” compelled him to act.

“I feel pride and honor because my son is a hero of Australia,” the father said.

The Bondi Beach attack, allegedly committed by an Australian resident who arrived from India in 1998 and his Australian-born son, has deeply shaken the country. In its aftermath, other stories of bravery have emerged. Boris and Sofia Gurman, a married couple, were both killed while attempting to stop one of the shooters. Reuven Morrison, 62, also lost his life while trying to intervene in the attack.

These acts of courage have resonated with many Australians searching for meaning amid the tragedy, exemplifying the country’s values of bravery and unity across religious and cultural divides.

“When he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking at all about the background of the people he’s saving,” Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed said of his son. “He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another, especially here in Australia there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”