Bondi Hero Ahmed Al Ahmed Speaks Out: “My Soul Asked Me To Do That”

Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who has been praised globally for his bravery in disarming one of the gunmen in the Bondi shooting, has spoken out for the first time about his actions and thought process on the day of the attack.

Speaking with CBS News, Ahmed said that he could not bear to hear the chaos unfolding that day at Bondi: “I couldn’t handle it, to hear the kids and the women, and elders and men screaming, and asking for help, and no one help [sic]. My soul, and everything in my body, in my brain, asked me to go and defence [sic] and to save innocent lives.”

The video of Ahmed grappling with one of the gunmen spread rapidly over the global internet in the wake of the shooting. In the footage, Ahmed can be seen sneaking up on the elder shooter before wresting his gun away from him and pointing it at him. Moments later, Ahmed is shot by the younger of the two shooters from the nearby footbridge.

Despite the immediate danger posed to him, Ahmed says he didn’t think about the dangers – including the second gunman. “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 scream and beg ‘Help, help’”, he said. “My soul asked me to do that, and everything in my heart and my brain worked to manage and save the people’s lives.”

When reporter Anna Coren asked Ahmed if he ever considered shooting the gunman after taking his firearm from him, he said: “I didn’t think to shoot. I don’t wanna put my hand in blood. I don’t think I am the one who can take life of people [sic].” Yet despite the fact that he knows he saved plenty of lives through his actions, Ahmed still said: “I feel sorry still for the lost.”

Over $2.6M raised for Ahmed al Ahmed’s bravery 

In the aftermath of his heroic actions in Bondi that day, Ahmed al Ahmed has been celebrated both locally and globally for his actions.

From Anthony Albanese labelling Ahmed as an Australian hero to praise from his hometown in northern Syria, outpourings of admiration and support for Ahmed as he continues to recover from his injuries have genuinely come from across the whole world.

A major fundraiser for Ahmed has also raised $2.6 million at time of writing, growing even further since he was awarded a cheque while recovering in hospital on Friday, December 19th.