Ahmed al Ahmed, a tobacco shop owner and Syrian immigrant who tackled and disarmed one of the terrorists who attacked a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, has given his first interview since the attack.
“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 told CBS News. “I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”
🚨Ahmed al Ahmed ran straight into danger while everyone else ran the other way.
— TheCommonVoice (@MaxRumbleX) December 29, 2025
He tackled an armed attacker at Bondi Beach, stopping a massacre and saving dozens of lives, yet the weight of those who died still haunts him.
Heroism doesn’t erase tragedy. Courage doesn’t make… pic.twitter.com/tHVyPM7jAj
Al-Ahmed then went on to describe the moment when he attacked the gunman.
“I jumped in his back, hit him,” he said. “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, and it’s come all in fast."
"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." he continued. “Everything in my heart, in my brain, everything, it’s worked just to manage to save the peoples’ life.”
"I jumped in his back, hit him."
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 29, 2025
Ahmed al Ahmed, the man hailed as a hero for tackling one of the gunmen behind an antisemitic attack on Australia's Bondi Beach is speaking out for the first time.@amcoren's exclusive interview tomorrow on @CBSMornings. pic.twitter.com/9CRbZDmLe8
While Al-Ahmed was wrestling the gun away from the terrorist, the second attacker on a nearby footbridge fired several shots at him, striking his arm, hand, shoulder, and chest. He spent two weeks recovering in the hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries.
Last week, while still in the hospital, Ahmed received a $2.5 million check from an organized fundraiser that drew contributions from more than 40,000 individuals around the world.
When he was presented with the check, Al-Ahmed asked, “I deserve it?” to which the presenter replied, “Every penny.”
This weekend, several of Al-Ahmed's family members were quickly granted visitor visas by the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Home Affairs so his siblings could visit him as he recovered in the hospital. They will fly to Sydney from Germany, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. While several of his siblings had their visas fast-tracked, one of al-Ahmed’s sisters, who resides in Syria, is still trying to obtain a visa.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Al-Ahmed in the hospital on December 16, describing him as “an Australian hero.”
“He was trying to get a cup of coffee and found himself at a moment where people were being shot in front of him,” Albanese said following his visit. “He decided to take action, and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians. He is a very humble man. At a moment where we have seen evil perpetrated, he shines out as an example of the strength of humanity. We are a brave country. Ahmed al Ahmed represents the best of our country.”
Fifteen people were killed in the attack, and more than 40 were injured. The two gunmen, a father and son inspired by ISIS, carried out the terrorist attack.
Responding police shot and killed Sajid Akram, 50, while his son, Naveed Akram, was critically wounded. He was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to Long Bay Correctional Complex in Malabar, Sydney, where he was charged with 59 offenses.