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Albanian visits ‘humble’ Ahmed Al-Ahmed after Bondi hero speaks from hospital
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Albanian visits ‘humble’ Ahmed Al-Ahmed after Bondi hero speaks from hospital

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has visited Ahmed Al-Ahmed in hospital, the hero store owner who disarmed one of the alleged Bondi gunmen by throwing himself at the heavily armed man.
Albanians visited Al-Ahmed at Sydney’s St George Hospital and praised the Syrian-born man as “our country’s best”.
“He is very humble,” Albanese said after his visit.
“At a time when we have seen evil committed, he stands out as an example of the power of humanity. We are a brave country.

“Ahmed Al-Ahmed represents the best of our country.”

In a video on Albanese’s Instagram account, the prime minister said Al-Ahmed’s heart was “strong” and his courage was “inspiring.”
In response, Al-Ahmed placed his hand on his heart and replied, “Thank you very much.”
Albanese detailed Al-Ahmed’s thought process that led to his heroic act.
“He was going through his thought processes as he saw the atrocities happening. He had gone to Bondi with friends and relatives,” Albanese told reporters.

“He was trying to get a cup of coffee, as simple as that, and found himself in a moment where people were getting shot in front of him. He decided to take action, and his courage is an inspiration to all Australians.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Ahmed Al-Ahmed as “a hero who must be recognised”. Source: MONKEY / Steven Markham

Albanians met Al-Ahmed’s parents, who were visiting from Syria, and called them “very proud”.

“We will not allow this country to be divided. That is what the terrorists are looking for, we will unite, we will embrace each other and we will get through this,” he said.

Al-Ahmed speaks from the hospital

In a video shared by Türkiye’s public broadcaster, TRT World, Al-Ahmed said he “appreciates everyone’s efforts” and called on people to pray for him.
“May Allah reward you and grant you well-being. God willing, we will return to you with joy,” he said.

“Because of Allah I went through a very difficult phase. Only Allah knows.”

“I ask my mother, the apple of my eye, to pray for me. Pray for me, my mother,” Al-Ahmed said.

“God willing, it will be a minor injury.”

A long recovery ahead

He will undergo further surgery on Wednesday.
He is in pain but supported by his family, who are as concerned as they are proud of his heroism, said Lubaba Alhmidi Alkahil, media director of the Australians for Syria Association, who brought flowers and food to his hospital room on Monday.

“I think it will take at least six months to recover… it’s badly damaged,” she told the Australian Associated Press. “He has two daughters and small children.”

“When he threw himself at that bad guy… all he was thinking about was how to save these people,” Alkahil said.
Al-Ahmed’s cousin, Mustafa Al-Asaad, said the bystander-turned-hero was shot in the left shoulder and hand.
Al-Asaad said his cousin, an Australian citizen originally from Syria, told him: “God gave me the courage to jump on the gunman.”

“He was not thinking about death when he saw the bullets flying through the air,” Al-Asaad told BBC Arabic overnight.

Al-Ahmed’s “selfless courage” saved lives, Minns says

NSW Premier Chris Minns also visited Al-Ahmed in hospital on Monday evening and praised his “incredible courage”.

“There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost had it not been for Ahmed’s selfless courage,” he said in a Facebook post.

Former Prime Minister John Howard also praised Al-Ahmed’s bravery, saying his actions were a reminder that the community “must not lose confidence in Australia’s performance”.
“I understand he’s a Muslim… that’s a reminder that there are good people of all faiths in this wonderful country,” Howard told Sky News on Tuesday.
One of the gunmen, Naveed Akram, 24, is in police custody, while the other, his 50-year-old father Sajid, was killed.
Multiple videos posted to social media show the two alleged gunmen standing on a walkway connecting Campbell Parade to the Bondi Pavilion and firing shots into a crowd.

Footage shows Al-Ahmed crouching behind a vehicle in the nearby parking lot before sneaking up behind a gunman and wrestling the gun from his grasp.

The altercation caused the alleged gunman to stagger to the ground before getting up and walking to the pedestrian bridge from where the other alleged gunman continued shooting.
“It was extraordinary, that footage of sneaking up behind a gunman involved in a mass shooting, and he was unarmed, and as a result, he was also shot twice. That’s why he’s in the hospital,” Albanese said before his hospital visit.
“He is a hero and that needs to be recognized and I am absolutely sure we will do that.”

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