Sydney Hero Recounts Moment-By-Moment How He Stopped Bondi Beach Shooter

Sydney shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed has recounted the harrowing moment he confronted one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach attack in Australia that left 15 people dead.

Ahmed, a father of two born in Syria, tackled one of the shooters from behind a parked car, seizing his gun before the second attacker shot at him and caused injuries. "I jumped on his back, hit him, and told him to drop his gun. It all happened so fast," he added.

In an interview with CBS News, he said that at the time, he only thought about saving lives and his main goal was to take the gun away and prevent the shooter from hurting anyone.

"My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being's life and not killing innocent people," Ahmed said.

"And emotionally, I'm doing something, which is I feel something, a power in my body, my brain ... 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 screaming and begging, asking for help, and that's my soul asking me to do that," he told the outlet.

Ahmed was shot multiple times by the second gunman during the attack. He felt sorry for the people who were killed in the attack.

After the shooting, he was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for multiple wounds to his shoulder. He also received a cheque for Australian dollar 2.5 million at his hospital. The amount was raised by tens of thousands of people in the community who were inspired by his actions, BBC reported.

Ahmed needed at least three surgeries because of the injuries he sustained while tackling the gunman, Sajid Akram.

High-profile leaders also praised him for his actions. Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, visited him in the hospital and called him "the best of our country," while New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described him as a "real-life hero."

Earlier, Ahmed's parents told BBC Arabic that their son acted out of his conscience, emotions, and humanity.

The shooting took place at a Hanukkah celebration and was aimed at Sydney's Jewish community, according to Australian and US officials. Fifteen people were killed and another 40 were injured during the attack.

Police identified the attackers as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was killed by police at the scene, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram.

Naveed was hospitalised after the attack and has now been charged with 59 crimes, including 15 counts of murder and one count of carrying out a terrorist attack.