The hero of the attack against Jews in Sydney: a fruit tree of Syrian origin

BarcelonaThe shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney It left an epic image: a civilian disarmed one of the attackers by grabbing him from behind, and, as authorities admitted, saved many lives. The hero is Ahmed al-Ahmad, a 43-year-old fruit vendor of Syrian origin, a father who had lived in Australia for 20 years. Several pedestrians filmed the scene, which has gone viral and already accumulated 22 million views on social media. The man was later shot four or five times in the shoulder and is recovering in the hospital, his parents, Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmad and Malakeh Hasan al-Ahmad, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The parents only arrived in Sydney from Syria a couple of months ago, while their son has lived in Australia since 2006. "I saw people dying, and when that man [the shooter] ran out of ammunition, I took the gun from him, but the gun, but..." The man has survived emergency surgery and remains hospitalized, awaiting further operations. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visited him in the hospital on Monday and called him a "true hero."

According to his account, Al Ahmed was having coffee with a friend in Bondi when he heard gunshots. He saw one of the attackers crouching behind a tree and, realizing he was out of ammunition, approached from behind and managed to disarm him. The other attacker, who was on a nearby pedestrian bridge, shot him, wounding him in the shoulder. The family emphasized that Al Ahmed, a father of two girls aged 3 and 6, would have done anything to protect someone, regardless of their background or faith. "When he did what he did, he wasn't thinking about the background of the people he was saving," said his father. "He doesn't discriminate between one nationality and another. Here in Australia, there's no difference between one citizen and another." Ahmed's courageous act has resonated around the world, and in the United States, it has caught the attention of President Donald Trump and billionaire hedge fund manager William Ackman. Trump mentioned his actions in a speech at the White House, where he asserted that he "saved many lives." "He is a very brave person who is currently in the hospital, seriously injured. All my respect to the man who did this," he stated. Ackman, for his part, has donated $100,000 to a crowdfunding campaign created in support of Ahmed. The fundraiser, launched in Ahmed Al Ahmed's name, has raised $550,000 in just 12 hours.