Australian PM visits injured Bondi Beach hero — here’s what he said to him

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised Ahmed Al Ahmed, the man being hailed as a national hero for confronting one of the gunmen during the deadly Bondi Beach attack.

“We are a brave country. Ahmed Al Ahmed represents the very best of our country,” Albanese told reporters, referring to the unarmed civilian who took on the attacker and was injured in the process.

Ahmed is recovering from gunshot wounds sustained during the confrontation. The Prime Minister visited him in hospital, and in a video shared on X, Albanese is seen holding Ahmed’s hand with both of his as a gesture of respect.

“Your courage is inspiring,” Albanese is heard telling him.

In his post, Albanese wrote: “Ahmed, you are an Australian hero. 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 say thank you.”

A viral video of the attack during Hanukkah celebrations shows Ahmed, who was in the car parking area, charging at one of the gunmen as shots were being fired. Wearing a white T-shirt, he is seen tackling the attacker from behind in an attempt to disarm him. Ahmed eventually managed to seize the weapon, forcing the gunman to retreat and preventing further loss of life.