The man who heroically confronted and disarmed one of the attackers on Bondi Beach was Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner.
Ahmed, who can be seen in a video wearing a white T-shirt, approached one of the shooters with a rifle, striking him and grabbing his weapon, an act that saved many other lives, the Telegraph reports.
Then, with the gun in his possession, he points it at the attacker, who retreats towards a bridge where a second active shot was placed.
In a gesture that combined caution and courage, Ahmed leaned his rifle against a tree and raised his hands, most likely to signal that he was not part of the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saluted the Bondi Beach hero during a government meeting in Dimona.
"We saw an act of a brave man - it turned out to be a brave Muslim man, and I salute him - who stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu said he had warned Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese that the country's policies "foster anti-Semitism."
Ahmed al Ahmed owns a fruit business in Sutherland Shire, a suburb south of Sydney. According to his cousin, Mustafa, who spoke to Australian media outside the hospital, Ahmed has no experience with firearms. He was simply visiting Bondi Beach when the shooting occurred and decided to act.
During the fight, Ahmed was shot twice by the second person with a rifle on the bridge. The injuries were to his arm and hand, and he had to undergo surgery that same night on Sunday. "We hope he's okay. He's a hero, 100 percent," Mustafa said.
The attack happened at around 6:47pm local time in Archer Park, near Bondi, during a celebration of the first day of Hanukkah, attended by nearly a thousand people.
New South Wales Police are investigating whether a third person with a rifle was involved. One of the attackers was shot dead, while another remains in a critical condition.
The incident has caused a wave of reactions on social media, where thousands of users have expressed admiration for someone who, in the words of one of them, chose not to be among those fleeing danger. /Telegraph/
