A gofundme page for the bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi Beach shooters has topped $2 million, as he remains in hospital for treatment for multiple gunshot wounds.
Extraordinary footage shows Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old father-of-two who arrived in Australia from Syria in 2006, emerging from behind a parked car, grabbing the shooter from behind and wrestling the weapon from his hands. He then points the rifle at the shooter before laying it down next to a tree.
His actions won praise from local and global leaders. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who visited Ahmed in the hospital on Tuesday, called him an "Australian hero." US President Donald Trump expressed "great respect" for Ahmed, while hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman said he was "a brave hero" and that his firm would establish a reward program for people who had carried out similar acts.
Ahmed, you are an Australian hero.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 16, 2025
You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist.
In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that's exactly what we saw on Sunday night.
On behalf of every Australian, I… pic.twitter.com/mAoObU3TZD
Other stories of bravery have emerged from Sunday's massacre, when a father and son opened fire on a crowd gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. Fifteen people were killed in the worst terrorist attack in Australia's history. The older shooter was also shot dead by police. The son is in hospital and is expected to be questioned by police later Wednesday after awakening from a coma, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told radio station 2GB.
Boris Gurman and Sofia Gurman, a Russian-Jewish couple who lived in Bondi, became the first two victims after attempting to stop the shooting before it even started, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Dashcam footage shows Boris Gurman tackling one of the gunmen, who had emerged from a car with an Islamic State flag draped over its windscreen. He initially disarms him, before the gunman grabs another weapon and shoots the couple.
A seperate gofundme page for the Gurman family has raised more than $250,000.
More than 40,000 people have contributed to the fundraiser for Ahmed, which was sitting at $2.4 million at 9.40 a.m. Sydney time Wednesday. The top donor is listed as William Ackman, who gave $99,999.
We and the @PershingSqFdn are going to set up a reward system for heroes. As a society, we don't do enough to take care of the heroes in our communities. We would like to address this failure and do so systematically.
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 14, 2025
I will report back once we are up and running. https://t.co/jMawGowGob
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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