Bystander hailed as ‘genuine hero’ after disarming gunman in Sydney Bondi Beach attack

A man captured on video overpowering an armed attacker during a fatal shooting spree at a well-known Australian beach is being widely praised for his actions with many crediting him with preventing further loss of life.

Footage shared on social media shows the bystander, wearing a white T-shirt and dark trousers, taking cover behind a parked vehicle before approaching the shooter from behind. He is seen seizing the gunman and struggling with him until the firearm is taken away, after which the attacker collapses to the ground as the bystander holds the weapon.

The dramatic intervention has drawn praise from across the world, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the moment as “the most unbelievable scene.”

“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,” Minns said. “That man is a genuine hero.”

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The bystander was identified as 43-year-old Ahmed Al Ahmed by 7NEWS Australia, which interviewed his cousin.

He was shot twice, with wounds to his arm and hand and needed to undergo surgery, according to the cousin identified by the news outlet as Mustafa. He said his cousin is a fruit shop owner and father of two from Sydney.

“We hope he will be fine,” Mustafa said. ”He’s a hero. One hundred percent, he’s a hero.”

New South Wales Police acknowledged the bystander’s actions, but could not confirm his identity. “Inquiries are continuing and we are still endeavoring to identify all involved,” police said in an e-mailed statement.

Two gunmen attacked a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounded dozens of others. The attack is being called an act of antisemitic terrorism.

The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular and iconic beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those episodes and Sunday’s shooting were connected. It is the deadliest shooting in almost three decades in a country with strict gun control laws.