A fruit seller is celebrated as a hero

Man disarms shooter in Sydney

“The most incredible scene I’ve ever seen”

At least a dozen people die in a suspected terrorist attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney. Presumably the intervention of a fruit dealer prevented even worse things from happening.

The brave intervention of a passer-by in the attack on a celebration of the Jewish festival of lights Hanukkah in Sydney may have saved many people’s lives. The man overpowered and disarmed one of the attackers who shot at least 12 people on Bondi Beach on Sunday. Videos shared on social media show him pushing one of the shooters to the ground from behind and snatching the rifle from him. The Reuters news agency was able to confirm the authenticity of the video.

According to Australian broadcaster 7News, the man is a 43-year-old fruit merchant named Ahmed al Ahmed. According to his cousin, the man himself was shot twice during the attack. He is currently being treated in hospital, but nothing is known about his exact state of health.

Politicians praised the extraordinary bravery of the man who risked his own life to save that of others. New South Wales state government leader Chris Minns described the gunman’s disarmament as “the most incredible scene I have ever seen.” “This man is a true hero, and I have no doubt that many, many people are still alive tonight because of his bravery,” Minns said.

US President Donald Trump made similar comments. That was “a very, very brave person,” Trump said in a Christmas speech. The man saved many people’s lives. Trump, like the Australian authorities, condemned the attack as anti-Semitic.

At least 12 people were killed and nearly 30 others injured, including two police officers, in the attack on the first evening of the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah. One suspected shooter was killed and another is in critical condition. Police are investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the attack. A bomb disposal squad was also deployed to deal with several suspected improvised explosive devices.

Attacks with large numbers of fatalities are rare in Australia, considered one of the safest countries in the world. Sunday’s attack was the worst such incident in the country since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at a tourist site in the southern state of Tasmania.