ISTANBUL / ISLAMABAD

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday visited St. George Hospital in southern Sydney, where he met with Ahmed Al Ahmed, the man hailed as a hero for disarming one of the attackers during the Bondi Beach incident.

Following the meeting, Albanese praised Ahmed’s bravery, saying he represented “the best of our country.”

“Ahmed, you are an Australian hero. You put yourself at risk to save others,” Albanese wrote on US social media company X, adding: "In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians, and that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday night. On behalf of every Australian, I say thank you."

Speaking to reporters after the hospital visit, the prime minister said Australia would not allow the nation to be divided.

“This is what terrorists seek, but we will not allow our country to be divided,” Albanese said. “We will unite, we will embrace each other, and we will get through this.”

Albanese also met Ahmed's family, including his Syrian parents, Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed and Malakeh, who landed in Australia a few months ago.

"I thanked him (Ahmed) for the lives that he helped to save, and I wished him all the very best with his surgery that he will undertake tomorrow," he said, adding that he also thanked the health professionals at St. George Hospital who are providing support for him.

Ahmed, 43, moved to Australia in 2006 and is the father of two daughters.

Albanese also said that he convened the national Cabinet on Monday to discuss Australia's gun laws.

In strengthening the gun laws, Albanese said: "The consideration that will take place includes limiting the number of guns an individual can own, the type of guns that are legal, whether gun ownership should require Australian citizenship, and accelerating work on the National Firearms register."

Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two girls, risked his life by running at one of the gunmen and seizing his weapon before turning the gun on him and forcing the shooter to surrender. He was shot multiple times and sustained gunshot wounds to his arm and shoulder.

According to Australian police, a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son opened fire along Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and injuring 42 others who were taken to the hospital for treatment.

One of the two shooters was killed, while the other sustained critical wounds, police said, declaring the incident a “terrorist act.”