‘Hero’ Bystander Who Tackled Bondi Beach Gunman Identified By Family

A bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen in a terror attack in which 12 people were killed at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach on Sunday has been identified by local media as 43-year-old father of two, Ahmed el Ahmed. A video of the incident that has been broadcast repeatedly across Australian television channels and viewed millions of times on social media shows a man grabbing one of the gunmen as he fired on a crowd, before taking the gun from him and pointing it at him. He then carefully lays the firearm against a tree while a second gunman opens fire towards him from a bridge. The man’s cousin, identified only as Mustafa, told Australia’s 7News that Ahmed took on the gunman and later suffered bullet wounds to his arm and hand.  “He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” Mustafa told the news outlet.  “We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.” Read more: Bondi Beach Terror Attack: At Least 12 Killed as Gunmen Target Jewish Holiday Event 7News reported that Ahmed is from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire and owns a fruit business. He was visiting Bondi Beach when the shooting occurred. TIME could not independently confirm the identity of the bystander in the video. A Reuters verification confirmed the video of the intervention by corroborating footage showing the same men. Reuters also verified that the armed men in the video are the same as the individuals seen surrounded by the police by corroborating separate visuals of their clothing. Australian authorities have not confirmed the identity of the bystander, but they were quick to praise the person’s actions as heroic.  Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales state, where Sydney is located, described the video as the “most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”. “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.” “That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery,” he said.  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others”. “These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,” he told a press conference.