Who is the man who risked his life to disarm alleged Bondi Beach shooter?

A “hero” bystander who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a mass shooting at Bondi Beach has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, according to Australian officials and media.

Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two girls, risked his life to disarm one of two attackers who targeted a Jewish event near the popular Sydney beach on Sunday. At least 15 people died in the attack, including a 10-year-old girl.

A video of the heroic act has since been viewed millions of times on social media. Ahmed was later shot by one of the two gunmen, but remains in stable condition in hospital.

Speaking outside St George Hospital, Ahmed’s cousin, Mustafa, told 7News — ITV News’ Australian partner — that Ahmed was doing okay and called him “a hero”.

Both men were grabbing a coffee at the beach when they saw the shooting unfold.

Mustafa told reporters that before disarming the gunman, Ahmed turned to him and said: “I’m going to die, please see my family and tell them that I went down to save people’s livesbefore.”

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Ahmed’s parents, who are from Syria, said he was shot several times, with some of the bullets still lodged inside him.

His parents said they moved to Sydney just a few months ago, but that their son arrived back in 2006. They also said Ahmed, who owns a nearby fruit shop, has two daughters, aged three and six.

A GoFundMe fundraising page has since been set up for Ahmed and has amassed over $1.3 million (£646,000) in donations at the time of writing.

This includes a $99,000 (£49,200) donation from Jewish billionaire hedge fund manager William Ackman, who called Ahmed a “hero”.

President Donald Trump also commented on Ahmed’s actions, telling White House reporters on Sunday: “And in Australia, you probably read there has been a very, very brave person, actually, who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives.

“So very brave person who’s right now in the hospital, pretty seriously wounded. So respect to that man that did that.”

Writing on X, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said: “Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.

“It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.”