One of the gunmen who launched a terror attack at a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, was tackled and disarmed by a bystander. The media has identified the man as a 43-year-old Muslim father of two, Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon of the New South Wales Police Force said that officers had found what they believed to be several improvised explosive devices in a vehicle linked to the cowardly suspect who was killed, The New York Times reports. According to the outlet, the vehicle was parked near the scene of the attack, and bomb disposal units were deployed, Lanyon said, adding that the police were still looking into the possibility that other people had been involved.
Ahmed al Ahmed is seen in the widely circulated video hiding behind parked cars before running towards the gunman from behind. The quick-thinking man grabbed the man by the neck, pulled away his rifle, and forced him to the ground, then pointed the weapon back at him.
His cousin, Mustafa, told Australia’s 7News that Ahmed took on the gunman and suffered bullet wounds to his arm and hand.
“He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” Mustafa said. “We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.”
Like others, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others”.
