Fruit shop owner hailed as hero after disarming Bondi Beach gunman

A bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi Beach gunmen has been identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from Sydney's Sutherland Shire.

Video footage shows Ahmed, wearing a white T-shirt, charging one of the shooters from behind, wrestling away his rifle and then pointing it at the attacker, who retreated towards a bridge where the second gunman was positioned.

Ahmed then placed the rifle against a tree and raised his hands, apparently to signal to police he was not a threat.

During the struggle, Ahmed was shot twice by the second gunman — once in his arm and once in his hand. He underwent surgery on Sunday night and is recovering.

"We hope he'll be okay," his cousin Mustafa told Australian media outside the hospital. "He's a hero, one hundred per cent."

Mustafa said Ahmed has no firearms experience and was simply visiting Bondi Beach when the attack began.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called Ahmed "a genuine hero," saying, "There are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Ahmed during a government meeting in Dimona on Sunday.

"We saw an action of a brave man — turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him — that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also criticised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying he had warned him that Australia's policies "fuel antisemitism."

The attack occurred around 6:45 pm local time at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration attended by around 1,000 people.

Police have confirmed two attackers were involved — a father and son. The 50-year-old father was killed by police at the scene, while the 24-year-old son remains in critical but stable condition.

Authorities initially investigated whether a third person was involved but are no longer looking for additional suspects.