Moments later, a second bystander threw an object at the disarmed shooter, but tragically, Al-Ahmed was shot by the second alleged gunman, Akram’s 24-year-old son, Naveed, positioned on a nearby footbridge.

The Syrian-born Ahmed’s life-saving actions drawn global admiration, but the pain and trauma are starting to take a heavy toll. Initial reports stated he had been shot twice, but new details have now emerged.

Al-Ahmed’s injuries are severe

Al-Ahmed’s injuries are far more serious than initially reported. He was shot in the shoulder, arm, and hand and has undergone multiple surgeries, with at least one bullet still lodged in his back.

“At this stage, he says he has no feeling in his arm,” his former migration lawyer Sam Issa told the Daily Mail.

“I’m no medical doctor, but he said to me that it seems like one of the bullets may have hit a nerve. The pain has started to take a toll on him. He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment.”

There are growing fears he could lose his arm due to nerve damage. Yet from his hospital bed, Al-Ahmed sent a message of faith and hope:

“Through Allah, I went through a very difficult phase, only Allah knows it. I ask my mother, the apple of my eye, to pray for me. Pray for me, my mother. God willing, it will be a minor injury,” he told TRT World in Arabic.

A hero’s courage

Before confronting the gunman, Al-Ahmed warned his cousin of the danger:

“He said: ‘I’m going to die – please see my family and tell them that I went down to save people’s lives,’” Jozay Alkanj told The Sydney Morning Herald.

His cousin Mustafa al-Assad said Al-Ahmed couldn’t stand by: “When he saw this scene, people dying of gunfire, he told me, ‘I couldn’t bear this. God gave me strength. I believe I’m going to stop this person killing people.’”

Al-Ahmed’s father, Muhammad Fateh al-Ahmed, highlighted his son’s lifelong instinct to protect others: “My son is a hero. He served with the police and in the central security forces, and he has the impulse to protect people.”

His mother, Malakeh Hasan al-Ahmed, was overwhelmed upon realizing her son was the man in the viral video:

“I’m proud that my son was helping people. He saved lives, souls. God would not harm him because he was a do-gooder,” she said.

“He saw they were dying and people were losing their lives, and when that guy ran out of ammo, he took it from him, but he was hit. We pray that God saves him.”

Al-Ahmed moved to Australia over a decade ago on a student visa and was granted citizenship in 2022. He now runs a tobacconist and convenience store in Sutherland and is known locally as a devoted family man.

Despite the horror, Al-Ahmed’s bravery has inspired millions. “When he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving,” his father said. “He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia, there’s no difference between one citizen and another.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised those who ran toward danger: “Australians who ran towards danger in order to help others are heroes.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns called Al-Ahmed a “genuine hero” who undoubtedly saved lives, while US President Donald Trump added:

“In Australia, as you’ve probably read, there’s been a very, very brave person who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters. He saved a lot of lives, a very brave person who is right now in the hospital, pretty seriously wounded. I have great respect for the man who did that.”

Al-Ahmed’s GoFundMe campaign has now raised over $2 million, including a $100,000 donation from billionaire Bill Ackman. The funds will support his recovery and help care for his young daughters, aged six and seven, as their father fights to heal.

The Hanukkah by the Sea tragedy on December 14 in Sydney claimed the lives of fifteen innocent people, including a 10-year-old girl. Authorities have described it as the deadliest attack in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, leaving a nation in mourning.

The surviving suspected terrorist, 24-year-old shooter Naveed Akram, has now awakened from a coma after being shot by police. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has confirmed that Akram will face charges once he is medically cleared.