Bondi Beach Hero Ahmed Al Ahmed Awarded Key To The City

The Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed has been awarded a key to the city and a lifetime beach parking pass for his bravery during the December 14 terror attack.

Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43, was awarded a Key to the City and presented with a lifetime beach parking permit by Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh during a ceremony on Wednesday night. This makes him the second person in the council’s history to receive a lifetime beach parking permit for the LGA, which also includes Bondi.

15 people died during the shooting, which occurred at a Jewish event called Chanukah by the Sea at Archer Park in Bondi, with the youngest only 10 years old.

Video of the moment Mr Al Ahmed crept up behind one of the gunmen and single-handedly tackled and disarmed him went viral. He was shot several times following the altercation, requiring multiple surgeries at St George Hospital.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said footage of Mr Ahmed disarming one of the gunmen “has become synonymous with heroism and the bravery of ordinary Australians displayed during that day”.

“When confronted by hatred in the worst form, you acted with urgency and unflinching resolve,” he said.

“His courageous actions were motivated by his desire to save innocent lives.His instinctive courage, his willingness to put others first, and his quiet bravery will never be forgotten.”

A video message from New South Wales Premier Chris Minns was played for the audience, in which he thanked and praised Mr Ahmed for his actions, which “showed the nation and the world what true Australian courage looks like”.

“Without a second thought and without a sense of your own self-preservation, you put your own life at risk to save people you’d never met before.”

Upon receiving the honiurs, Al Ahmed thanked the officials and said,

“I feel honestly for all those lost and still I feel sadness about Bondi and my heart cries, but what I want to say, we have to be strong and stand with each other and wish peace for this beautiful land.”