Public donations for Syrian-born Ahmed al Ahmed, the hero who disarmed one of the accused perpetrators of Sunday’s Australia mass shooting, have climbed to over $1.5 million.
A GoFundMe fundraising page has garnered donations from over 42,000 people, raising over 2.4 million Australian dollars (around $1.6 million).
The GoFundMe platform described Ahmed’s actions on Sunday as “selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety.”
Expressing their love for the hero, people across Australia are donating to help Ahmed, who is being treated for gunshot wounds, and his family.
“We’re working directly with organisers to ensure funds safely reach Ahmed and his family. All funds remain securely held with our payment processors during verification until transfer,” GoFundMe said on X.
Among the contributors was US billionaire Bill Ackman, who donated AUD$99,000 (nearly $65,000).
Fifteen people were killed on Sunday when two suspected shooters – father and son – opened fire along the beach in Sydney, the New South Wales capital and Australia’s largest city by population. One of the two accused shooters was shot dead while other sustained critical injuries and remains under treatment in the hospital.
The Sunday shooting made global headlines after videos showed Ahmed pouncing on one of the two accused shooters and disarming him, almost surely saving more lives from being lost.
Ahmed, originally from Syria, was shot several times in the shoulder and admitted for treatment at St. George Hospital in southern Sydney.
'Put his life on the line for the sake of others'
Ahmed, 43, the father of two daughters, has been hailed as hero for his courageous act.
After meeting Ahmed in the hospital, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday called him an “Australian hero” who represents “the best of our country.”
On Monday, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called Ahmed a “real-life hero.”
“It was an honour to spend time with him,” said Minns after visiting Ahmed.
Australia’s Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, along with community leaders, also visited Ahmed, the Australian National Imams Council said. On X, the group said Ahmed “single handedly disarmed one of the shooters. Instead of running from the danger, he ran towards it and put his life on the line for the sake of others.”
Call with Syrian foreign minister
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani spoke over the phone with the brave Syrian man. During the contact, the top diplomat told Ahmed he was asked by President Ahmed al Sharaa to check on his health condition and convey to him his get-well wishes, according to a video of the phone call received by Anadolu.
Ahmed thanked President al Sharaa and Shaibani for their kind attention.
“In the near future, I will come back to my country and see those beautiful, heroic faces that removed injustice and ended oppression against the people,” Ahmed told the Syrian minister.
Proud community
Ahmed grew up in Nayrb, a small rural town east of Idlib in Syria that has been devastated by years of civil war, and his family home was later destroyed by bombing.
His cousin, Mohamed al Ahmed, told The National that the community was “proud of Ahmed”
He said Ahmed left the Syrian town and emigrated to Australia in 2006, long before the civil war engulfed the country, and that his actions in Sydney reflected values shaped by hardships at home.
