Ahmed al Ahmed tackled the shooter from behind.
Credit: X
Australia's Sydney was rocked by the country's worst shooting in nearly 30 years, when two gunmen opened fire at Jewish celebration at the famous Bondi beach on Sunday.
Amid the chaos, a man identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, tackled one of the shooters and disarmed him. The 43-year-old juice seller has been hailed as a hero and is believed to have saved numerous lives.
The video, now viral on social media, shows the Ahmed hiding behind cars before running towards the gunman from behind and grabbing him by the neck. He then pulls away his rifle and forces him to the ground, before pointing the weapon back at him. However, the gunman fled.
Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, also hailed him as "a genuine hero" and said the video was "the most unbelievable scene I've ever seen", Reuters reported.
"There are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery," Minns added.
According to Mustapha, Ahmed’s cousin, the fruit seller is in hospital, and was undergoing a surgery for bullet wounds, 7News reported.
"He's in hospital and we don't know exactly what's going on inside. We do hope he will be fine. He's a hero 100 percent," Mustapha told 7News.
Reuters reported that the man was shot in the arm and the hand. He is now recovering after the surgery.
Ahmed had no experience with guns and was only walking past the area when he decided to step in.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Ahmed with just over A$200,000 ($132,900) being raised in a few hours.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was the largest donor, contributing A$99,999 and sharing the fundraiser on his X account
In a press conference, the police said that the 50-year-old father was identified as Sajid Akram and was killed at the scene, while the 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram is in a critical condition and has been admitted to the hospital.
According to the police, Sajid was a fruit shop owner in Sydney.
Witnesses said that the shooting lasted for about 10 minutes at the packed popular beach. It created panic, sending hundreds running in the sand fleeing to the nearby streets and parks, Reuters reported.
Police said around 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event.