A man credited with saving lives by wrestling a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach received a cheque for more than A$2.5 million ($1.65 million) on Friday (December 19, 2025), after tens of thousands of people contributed to a donation website.
Ahmed al Ahmed hid behind parked cars before charging at one of the gunmen from behind, seizing his weapon and knocking him to the ground. Mr. Ahmed suffered gunshot wounds after apparently being fired on by a second perpetrator and remains in hospital after undergoing surgery.
Bondi Beach shooting: Bystander who tackled armed man hailed as hero
The Muslim father-of-two was presented with an oversized cheque at his St. George hospital bed by Zachery Dereniowski, a social media influencer and co-organiser of the GoFundMe page, videos posted online showed. More than 43,000 people worldwide contributed to the fundraising, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman who gave A$99,999 (₹90,02,874) and shared the fundraiser on his X account. Australia’s Prime Minister and the State Premier have visited Mr. Ahmed in hospital to praise his bravery.
Wanted to get attacker down: Indian-origin man who helped restrain Australia's Bondi Beach shooter
