Bondi shooting hero bystander draws nearly $2.6m in donations
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New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visiting Mr Ahmed al Ahmed, the bystander who disarmed one of the Bondi Beach shooters, at a hospital in Sydney, Australia, on Dec 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY – A GoFundMe page for the bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi Beach shooters
Extraordinary footage of the man’s actions began circulating on social media on Dec 14, shortly after two men, later identified as a father and son, started shooting into a crowd
Fifteen people were killed in the massacre, the worst terrorist attack in Australia’s history. The older gunman was also shot dead by police.
The bystander was identified as Mr Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, a father of two from south Sydney, who arrived in Australia from Syria in 2006, according to local media reports.
He sustained four to five gunshot wounds and is expected to undergo multiple rounds of surgery, the Australian Broadcasting reported on Dec 16.
In the cellphone video that caught the act of bravery, one of the attackers can be seen standing near a tree and firing. A few metres away, a crouched man emerges from behind a parked car, grabs the shooter from behind and wrestles the weapon from his hands.
Mr Ahmed was soon lauded for his feat.
On Dec 14, Mr Trump said he had saved many lives and expressed “great respect” for him. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised Mr Ahmed and other bystanders who helped treat victims in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
“People rushing towards danger to show the best of the Australian character,” Mr Albanese told reporters on Dec 15.
“That is who we are, people who stand up for our values.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visited Mr Ahmed in the hospital on Dec 15, calling him a “real-life hero” and saying more lives would have been lost if not for his “selfless bravery”.
Pershing Square Capital Management founder Ackman called Mr Ahmed “a brave hero” and said his hedge fund firm would establish a reward programme for people who had carried out similar acts. The top donor to the GoFundMe page is listed as Mr William Ackman, who gave US$99,999.
More than 33,000 people have contributed to the fund-raiser, which stood at US$1.94 million at 11.30am Sydney time (8.30am Singapore time) on Dec 16. BLOOMBERG
