Bondi Beach shooting: Bystander who tackled armed man hailed as ‘Australian hero’

A bystander captured on video tackling and disarming an armed man during an attack, in which 12 people were shot dead at a Jewish holiday event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, has been hailed as a hero whose actions potentially saved lives.

Footage circulating on social media shows a man in a car park wearing a white shirt running up to a man in a dark shirt who is holding a rifle. He then tackles the armed man from behind, wrenching the rifle from him with his hands before pointing the gun back at the man. The video then shows the man in a dark shirt losing his footing, backing away towards a bridge where another shooter was located, while the bystander places the gun down on the ground.

One suspected gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition following the shooting and police said they were investigating whether a third gunman was involved. The footage of the bystander's actions spread quickly on social media as people praised the man for his bravery, saying his actions had potentially saved many lives. His identity was not immediately known. "Australian hero (random civilian) wrestles gun off attacker and disarms him. Some people are brave and then some people are ... whatever this is," one person said on the X platform, sharing the video.