The hero shop owner who disarmed considered one of the Bondi Beach gunmen has been handed a cheque price greater than £1.2 million.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, has been hailed a hero of Australia after he crept up on and tackled considered one of the suspected shooters who unleashed terror at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday throughout the Jewish Hanukkah festivities.
The massacre, which has been declared a terror attack, left 15 innocent people dead. Much more lives would have been lost without the actions ofAhmed, officials said.
Today, recovering Ahmed was handed a cheque price greater than AU$2.5 million (£1.2 million) after tens of 1000’s of individuals flooded the fundraiser with donations.
He was visibly moved when TikTokker Zachary Dereniowski handed him the check, signed by ‘loving humans internationally.’
Ahmed asked ‘I deserve it?’ and thanked everyone and urged people to ‘stand with one another, all human beings.’
He continued: ‘And forget the whole lot bad up to now, and save lives. Once I saved the people, I did it from the center.
‘Everyone was having fun with, celebrating with their kids. Everyone was blissful, and so they should enjoy and it’s their right. This country is the very best country on the earth, but we aren’t going to maintain watching, enough is enough.’
He finished his message of resilience with ‘God protect Australia’ and patriotic cheer used at sporting events ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.’
The Syrian-born fruit shop seller has been recovering in hospital following surgery, where Australia’s PM, Anthony Albanese, visited his bedside to thank him.
The dad-of-two was riddled with bullets when he wrestled the weapon off considered one of the gunmen and pointed it back at him without firing the gun. Ahmed was then shot five times by the second assailant.
Other bystanders have also been praised for his or her bravery throughout the mass atrocity in town’s famous beach.
Reuven Morrison, 62, was among the many people killed on the beach, but before his death he managed to throw a brick on the attacker after he had been disarmed by Ahmed.
His daughter, Sheina Gutnick, told CBS News: ‘He managed to throw bricks, he was screaming … and protecting his community, he was shot dead.
‘If there was a technique for him to go on this earth, it will be fighting a terrorist. There was no other way he can be taken from us. He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most.’
One other man was filmed kicking away the alleged attacker’s rifle just moments after fire was opened on the innocent families.
Among the many massacre victims was a ten-year-old girl, Matilda, a Holocaust-survivour Alex Kleytman and a British-born rabbi, Eli Schlanger, who was considered one of the primary victims to be buried in Sydney yesterday.
Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 15 counts of murder and other offences in relation to the mass shooting.
The second suspected gunman, Akram’s dad, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police.
Akram was charged yesterday after waking up from a coma.
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