A Muslim vendor who intervened during a deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach has described the moment he ran toward one of the assailants and wrestled a gun from him in an effort to protect civilians.

Ahmed al Ahmed said in an interview with CBS News that his sole intention was to stop the gunman from killing innocent people.

“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.”

The attack took place on the first day of Chanukah during a Chabad event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, when father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire, killing 15 people and wounding dozens. Authorities later declared the shooting an antisemitic terrorist attack.

Al Ahmed, who works as a vendor in the area, was captured on video ducking between parked cars as gunfire erupted before charging one of the attackers and grappling with him to seize his weapon. During the struggle, al Ahmed was shot multiple times in the shoulder and later underwent several rounds of surgery.

Recalling the confrontation, al Ahmed said he jumped on the gunman’s back and held him while ordering him to stop. “Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing,” he recalled saying.

He told CBS he acted because he could not bear to see people being killed or hear the sound of gunfire as bystanders screamed for help.

Al Ahmed said he had been at the beach to get a cup of coffee when the shooting began.

Originally from Syria, al Ahmed emigrated to Australia in 2007. Speaking to Agence France-Presse days after the attack in al Ahmed’s hometown of Al-Nayrab, his uncle Mohammed described the intervention as a point of pride for the family. “His act is a source of pride for us and for Syria,” he said.

Australian media reported that the government has fast-tracked and granted visas for several members of al Ahmed’s family following the attack. In a statement, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke praised al Ahmed’s actions, saying, “Ahmed has shown the courage and values we want in Australia.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)