•  ‘Any honorable person, upon seeing people being killed, would not hesitate to try to stop it,’ Ahmed was quoted as saying

ISTANBUL 

Australian media reported that the individual who intervened in a shooting attack on a beach in Sydney and disarmed one of the shooters was a man named Ahmed al Ahmed.

According to a report published on News.com.au, video footage captured the moment during the attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach when a man approached one of the attackers from behind, grabbed the shotgun from his hands, and neutralized him.

"News.com.au can confirm the hero has been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a Sydney local who owns a fruit shop in Sutherland," the report said.

Ahmed, a Syrian from al-Nayrab village of the Idlib governorate, northwest Syria, who holds Australian citizenship, was reportedly shot twice during the attack and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Speaking to 7News from the hospital, Ahmed’s cousin, Mustafa Al-Asaad, said his cousin would undergo surgery tonight.

Asaad added that Ahmed, a father of two, had no experience with firearms.

He said that Ahmed’s condition was good, saying: “We hope he will be okay — he is a hero.”

In an interview with the Qatar-based Al Araby TV, Asaad stressed that his cousin has intervened to stop the attacker “out of humanitarian motives,” acting instinctively after seeing people falling victim to the attack.

He quoted Ahmad as saying that what he did “was a humanitarian act,” and he was not aware of the background or identity of those being targeted and did not think about the risks at the moment of intervention.

“Any honorable person, upon seeing people being killed, would not hesitate to try to stop it,” Asaad quoted Ahmed as saying.

As details of Ahmed al Ahmed’s intervention became a major focus of Australian media and public discussion, footage of the incident was widely shared on social media.

The Sydney Morning Herald referred to Ahmed as “a hero who saved many lives.”

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns praised Ahmed, saying: "It’s the most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen. A man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless other people."

"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," he added.

At least 16 people were killed, including 15 victims and one of the assailants, and 42 remained in hospital after the shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated at a press conference that the attack was directed at Jewish Australians.

Authorities announced that one suspect was killed, while another injured suspect was taken into custody.

Representatives of Australia’s Muslim community condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.