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Footage from the scene shows al-Ahmad hiding between parked cars before suddenly lunging at the armed attacker, wrestling the weapon out of his hands.
By United with Israel Staff
Amid the chaos of the horrific antisemitic terror attack in Australia, a civilian’s split-second courage helped stop one of the gunmen and likely prevented even greater bloodshed.
As gunfire erupted and panicked crowds fled for their lives, Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old married father of two, charged one of the attackers, wrestled away his weapon, and confronted him at close range. During the heroic act, al-Ahmed was shot twice and later rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Footage from the scene shows al-Ahmad hiding between parked cars before suddenly lunging at the armed attacker, wrestling the weapon out of his hands.
Moments later, he can be seen attempting to fire back at the terrorist, though the shots did not strike their target. Seconds earlier, gunfire had erupted at a Jewish community Chanukah candle-lighting event, sending dozens of people fleeing in panic.
A relative of al-Ahmad told Australia’s Channel 7 that the family is anxiously awaiting news as he undergoes surgery. “We hope he will be okay. He is a hero,” the family member said. “He took two bullets. I’m still waiting to see him, but they won’t let us in because he needs to go through surgery.”
Mustafa, al-Ahmad’s cousin, also spoke from the hospital, praising his actions and confirming the extent of his injuries. “We can’t go in to see him yet, but the doctor said he is okay,” he said. “We hope he will be fine, because he is a hero, one hundred percent a hero, just like you see in the videos circulating on social media. He was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the hand. I’m waiting to see him. He’s still in surgery.”
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and terror as the attack unfolded. An Israeli woman who was present said she ran for her life as shots rang out. “I ran like crazy,” she said. “It’s very frightening what’s happening here.”
At least 11 people were murdered in the antisemitic terror attack, making it one of the deadliest assaults on Australia’s Jewish community in recent memory.
Al-Ahmad’s actions are now being widely hailed as an act of extraordinary courage, carried out under fire and at great personal risk. As Australia reels from one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks in its history, his intervention is credited with preventing even greater loss of life, standing in stark contrast to the brutality of the terrorists he confronted.
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