Hero Ahmed from Sydney could lose his left arm, but says he would do it all again

(Patria) - Ahmed al Ahmed, the passerby who heroically subdued and disarmed one of the attackers in Bondi yesterday, said that despite serious injuries and great pain, he would do it all again, writes The Age, as reported by Index.hr.

His migration lawyer Sam Issa visited him today and confirmed that Ahmed does not regret his act.

- He does not regret what he did. He said he would do it again. But the pain is starting to take its toll. He is not well at all. He is riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment - Issa said.

Ahmed is currently recovering at St. George Hospital in Kogarah after his first surgery, and there are fears he could lose his left arm.

He sustained five gunshot wounds to his arm, and one bullet, which lodged in the back of his left shoulder blade, has not yet been removed.

- It is much worse than expected. When you think of a bullet in the arm, you don't think of serious injuries, but he lost a lot of blood - Issa explained.

After receiving Australian citizenship in 2022, Ahmed feels "indebted" to the community that accepted him.



- Ahmed is a humble man, he is not interested in media attention, he just did what he felt he had to do as a human being that day.

This is his way of expressing gratitude for staying in Australia, for the citizenship granted to him. He really appreciates this community and felt that as a member of it, he had to act in that way and contribute - his lawyer added.

Earlier today, Ahmed's parents Fateh and Malaka said their son was "in good spirits".

- He said he thanks God that he was able to do it, to help innocent people and save people from these monsters, these killers - his father said, while his mother added that she could not stop crying with pride when she heard that her son had saved lives.

Ahmed's bravery was also praised by US President Donald Trump.

- In Australia, as you have probably read, there was a very, very brave person who frontally attacked one of the attackers.

He saved many lives, a very brave person who is currently in hospital, quite seriously injured. I have great respect for the man who did that - Trump said.

Ahmed al Ahmed (44), a Muslim originally from Syria, arrived in Australia in 2006. He owns a tobacco shop and is the father of two daughters aged five and six.

His cousin Mostafa, who has been by his side in the hospital since yesterday, says Ahmed is undoubtedly a hero.

- Absolutely, he is a hero. He would lose his life to save other people - Mostafa said, adding that Ahmed confided in him that he does not know what came over him, but that God gave him "strength like he never had before".

Yesterday, Ahmed was drinking coffee with his cousin Jozaye Alkanj in Bondi, not far from where the Hanukkah celebration was taking place.

- It was only 10 minutes before this happened - Alkanj recounted.

When the shooting started, Ahmed told his cousin: "I am going to die. Please, visit my family and tell them I went to save people's lives."

Footage from the scene shows Ahmed approaching the attacker, subduing him and taking his rifle. After leaning the weapon against a tree, the attacker retreated and joined another attacker on a nearby overpass.

Ahmed then, stepping into the line of fire to protect others, was hit by two bullets.

❗️Shocking footage. A passerby disarmed the shooter "with bare hands" at Bondi Beach in Sydney. pic.twitter.com/UHtHFGjX7Q

— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) December 14, 2025

His path to Australian citizenship was difficult. After fleeing the civil war in Syria, his citizenship application was rejected in 2019 due to charges of possessing stolen goods, which were later dropped.

Citizenship was finally granted to him in 2022. Court records also show that in 2022 he pleaded guilty to minor tobacco-related offences, and in 2023 he was found guilty of possessing a knife, but without a recorded conviction.

His lawyer Issa is now advocating for Ahmed's elderly parents to be granted citizenship "as a reward for their son's service to the community".

- This is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to do something good as a reward for his bravery - Issa said.

In response to his heroic act, a GoFundMe campaign was launched, with more than 5,700 people raising over $570,000 to help Ahmed. Among the donors is American billionaire Bill Ackman, who donated $100,000.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns praised Ahmed's courage.

- Today we saw Australians running towards danger to help others. Those Australians are heroes and their bravery saved lives - Albanese said.

- I think it is worth remembering that in all this evil, in all this sadness, there are still wonderful, brave Australians who are willing to risk their lives to help a complete stranger - Minns added.