Millions are pledged to a Syrian Australian man who stopped a gunman and became a national hero

The 2025 stories that prove people still run toward danger

A man passes a mural by Jarrod Grech of Ahmed al Ahmed, the hero who was filmed tackling and disarming one of the attackers in the Bondi Beach mass shooting, in a Melbourne laneway on December 22, 2025. | William West/AFP via Getty Images One of my favorite books is Larissa MacFarquhar’s Strangers Drowning: Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Urge to Help. The book is, in part, a study of people who take altruism so seriously it start…

Man Who Tackled Bondi Beach Shooter Had Expected To Die During His Heroic Act

On December 14, 2025, sixteen people were killed and more than forty others were injured in a shooting on Sydney's Bondi Beach during the celebration of the first day of Hanukkah.Among the injured was Ahmed al-Ahmed, who was on the scene to order a cup of coffee when he realized that an attack was in progress. He was able to sneak up on one of two gunmen and wrestled the rifle away from him, stopping him from continuing his attack. He sustained …

Donations for Ahmed, hero who disarmed accused Sydney, Australia shooter, climb to over $1.5M

‘We’re working directly with organizers to ensure funds safely reach’ Syrian-born Ahmed Al Ahmed and his family, says GoFundMe, which described him as ‘selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic’ - Anadolu Ajansı

Millions are pledged to a Syrian Australian man who stopped a gunman and became a national hero

Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian tobacco shop owner, has become a national hero in Australia, with an online fundraiser for him raising millions of dollars.

Bondi hero going back into surgery

Bondi Beach attack hero Ahmed El Ahmed is due for another round of surgery today.

Amandeep ate a kebab as the sun set — then helped stop one of the alleged Bondi shooters

One of the many heroes who sprang into action after Sunday's attack says "now, more than ever, we need each other".