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December 15, 2025, 08:17December 15, 2025, 11:33
An attack on a Jewish festival shocked the Australian metropolis of Sydney on December 14th. According to media reports, two IS terrorists opened fire in Bondi Beach, shooting dozens of people. The two men, who new evidence suggests were father and son, killed at least 15 people.
While one of the attackers was shot dead by police, it was a civilian who showed incredible moral courage and stopped the second of them. A video shows the moment 43-year-old Ahmad Al Ahmad rushes towards the armed attacker and disarms him:
Video: Watson/Lucas Zollinger
According to his parents, Ahmad Al Ahmad himself was a victim of the attack. He is currently waiting for several operations because he was shot, writes the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Their son was having coffee with a friend in Bondi Beach when he heard gunshots, the parents said. He saw one of the shooters crouching behind a tree and approached him from behind when his ammunition was used up. After a short struggle, he was able to wrest the weapon away. He was then shot by the second gunman from a nearby overpass.
Ahmad Al Ahmad is said to have been hit by four to five bullets in the shoulder, several of which are still believed to be lodged in his body.
Father: “I feel pride and honor”
“My son is a hero,” said father Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed in Arabic to the ABC broadcaster. His son has been in Australia since 2006 and is an Australian citizen. The parents told the broadcaster they had only arrived in Sydney, where their son lives, from Syria a few months ago.
The 43-year-old was with the police and the central security forces. “He has the urge to protect people. When he saw people lying on the ground and blood everywhere, his conscience and his soul immediately forced him to pounce on one of the terrorists and snatch the weapon from him,” said the father. “I feel pride and honor – because my son is a hero of Australia.”
The 43-year-old’s mother, Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed, told ABC: “I am proud that my son helped people, he saved lives, souls, God will not harm him because he was a benefactor. My son has always been brave, he helps people, that’s how he is.” When the attacker ran out of ammunition, her son took the gun from him, but he was hit. “We pray that God protects him.”
According to ABC, Ahmed Al Ahmed has two brothers – one of them lives in Germany, the other in Russia. (lzo with material from sda/dpa)
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