The hero of Bondi Beach terror attack has asked for prayers from his hospital bed after he was wounded disarming one of the attackers.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was named by family as the man who tackled one of the gunmen to the ground before grabbing his gun and aiming it back at him, forcing him to retreat.
The dad-of-two was passing Bondi Beach when he heard the gunshots. He was shot twice and injured in the chaos while taking down the other suspected assailant.
Mr al Ahmed, a fruit shop owner, was rushed to the hospital where he is waiting to have multiple surgeries. A GoFundMe page set up to help him has raised more than AUS $1million (£496,694) within hours.
In a video from his hospital stretcher, Mr al-Ahmed thanked God after surviving ‘a difficult time’.
Speaking in Arabic, he said: ‘I went through a difficult time. God knows. Thanks be to God. Praise God for everything.
‘May God reward your efforts young men.’
He continued: ‘You must pray for us. May God heal you and bring you home safely.’
The dad-of-two, thought to be originally from Syria, is expected to make a full recovery.
His immigration lawyer said Mr al Ahmed ‘doesn’t regret what he did’ and that he would ‘do it again’ despite his injuries and the pain which has ‘started to take a toll on him.’
The lawyer, Sam Issa, told Sydney Morning Herald: ‘He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment.’
Walking on the promenade he told his cousin Jozay Alkanj before sneaking up on the gunman to pass a message to his family.
He said: ‘I’m going to die — please see my family [and tell them] that I went down to save people’s lives’,’ his cousin Alkanj told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Al Ahmed is facing more surgical procedures, Alkanj said, and there are fears he could lose his arm.
Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales, dropped by to see Mr al Ahmed in hospital today. He said the man is a real-life hero who ‘no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.’
The Bondi terror attack left 15 dead with at least 40 taken to hospital with injuries.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman and a ten-year-old girl were among those shot dead in the massacre.
One of the gunmen also died in the incident, while another is in custody.
The terror attack yesterday was one of the deadliest attacks on the Jewish community in the nation’s history.
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