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Ahmed al-Ahmed, who disarmed one of the Bondi gunmen before being shot five times, says he knows his bravery saved many lives but is sad for those who were killed in the attack.
In an interview with CBS News, Ahmed said he “didn’t worry about anything” except for the lives he could save as he disarmed Sajid Akram on 14 December. The act was caught on camera and shared around the world.
“My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people,” he said.
“I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”
Akram was shot dead by police during the attack on a Hanukah event where 15 people were killed. His son, Naveed Akram, was wounded by police, and he was later charged with 59 offences.
Footage from the attack shows Ahmed leaping from behind a parked car to grapple with Sajid Akram, whose gun was knocked to the ground in the struggle. Ahmed picked it up and pointed it at the gunman, who retreated to his son on a nearby footbridge.
“I jumped in his back, hit him. I hold him with my right hand and start saying a word, you know, like to warn him, ‘drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing’,” Ahmed told CBS of his struggle with the gunman.
“And emotionally, I’m doing something, which is I feel something, a power in my body, my brain … I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help, and that’s my soul asking me to do that.”
Ahmed, 44, was shot five times shortly after wrestling with Akram. He is recovering well after going through three rounds of surgery in a Sydney hospital, according to a member of the local Syrian-Australian community who visited him last week.
He also told CBS: “Everything in my heart, in my brain, everything, it’s worked just to manage to save the people’s life.”
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Ahmed, a tobacco shop owner from Sydney’s south, had been getting coffee with his cousin when the shooting started.
His actions have been widely praised, with the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, visiting him in hospital and filmed telling him: “Your heart is strong, your courage is inspiring.”
Last week, the media director for the Australians for Syria Association, Lubaba Alhmidi AlKahil, said Ahmed’s left arm was not expected to regain normal function for at least six months due to his injured nerves.
It was unlikely his Sutherland shop, where hundreds of people have left notes and flowers paying tribute, would reopen soon. Instead, he would rest and recover and spend time with family, AlKahil said.
“He needs to get rest, he needs to spend time with his family, he has been away from his wife and daughters for a long time,” she said.
Family members have watched over Ahmed as he has recovered and been visited by well-wishers and dignitaries.
“He said that a lot of people from the government, from different backgrounds, different religions, different ethnicities, visited him and congratulated him,” AlKahil said.
“He’s very happy, he feels very peaceful.”
Visitors have also included the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns; the Australian governor general, Sam Mostyn, who passed on personal thanks from King Charles; and David Ossip, the president of NSW’s Jewish Board of Deputies.
A fundraiser for Ahmed via GoFundMe has raised $2.5m.
