‘True hero’ Ahmed al Ahmed meets Israeli ambassador as NSW steps up policing for New Year events

Israel’s ambassador to Australia has met Ahmed al Ahmed, who confronted one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach terror attack, describing the shopkeeper as a “true hero”. Maimon Amir met al Ahmed as the Syrian-born Muslim – who intervened in the December 14 attack targeting Jews despite being unarmed – alongside New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns, the Israeli Embassy in Australia said yesterday. Ahmed, who became an Australian citizen five years ago and suffered gunshot wounds after he confronted the gunman, has said his only goal in the moment he intervened on December 14 was to save innocent lives. Ambassador @MaimonAmir was honored to meet Ahmed al Ahmed, together with Premier @ChrisMinnsMP , as he continues his recovery from the Bondi shooting. He expressed deep appreciation for Ahmed’s extraordinary bravery. By confronting the terrorist as he opened fire on children,… pic.twitter.com/6DWP9AoXdW — Israel in Australia (@IsraelinOZ) December 30, 2025 “I couldn’t handle it, to hear kids, and the women, and oldest, and men, screaming and asking for help,” he told US broadcaster CBS. Ahmed said he didn’t see anyone else trying to stop the massacre, so he crouched behind parked cars and waited for a chance to act. “My soul, my mind, my everything asked me to go and defend innocent life,” the shopkeeper said. “I didn’t think about it.” Ahmed tackled the gunman from behind, shouting at him to drop the weapon. “I don’t want to see people killed in front of me,” he said. He was shot five times but managed to disarm the attacker. “Everything in my heart and brain worked just to save people’s lives,” he said. Now recovering in a Sydney hospital, Ahmed said he’s proud of what he did. Footage and testimony shared in the hours and days after the attack revealed several other unarmed people intervened with the intention of saving lives that day, including 62-year-old Reuven Morrison, who hurled bricks at the gunman after al Ahmed disarmed him, and passersby Boris Gurman, 69, and his wife Sofia, 61, who were captured on dashcam footage confronting one of the two alleged attackers before they opened fire. All three were killed as a result of the attack. The meeting between Amir and Ahmed came as Sydneysiders geared up to ring in the new year, despite remaining on edge in the aftermath of the “Chanukah by the Sea” mass shooting that left 15 people dead. With the NSW government expecting a million people to turn out along the Sydney Harbour foreshore, a record number of police officers are on patrol, according to local media. More than 2,500 officers in uniform and plain clothes are conducting patrols, with some carrying long-arm firearms, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

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