A passerby seen wrestling and disarming one of the gunmen who opened fire at a crowd at Bondi Beach is being heralded as a hero as footage of the brave act circulates online.
At least 16 people died and many more were left injured after two gunmen took aim at a crowd gathered for a Hannukah celebration at the beach just before 7pm on Sunday.
One of the gunmen is in police custody while the other was killed.
Multiple videos posted to social media show two gunmen standing on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to the Bondi Pavilion, firing shots into a crowd.
The men could be seen firing guns as people screamed and sprinted for cover.
In an act that may have prevented more deaths, one of the gunmen was disarmed and prevented from firing further shots into the crowd.
Footage of the altercation shows a bystander - named in Australian media as 43-year-old father of two Ahmed el Ahmed - dressed in a white shirt and black pants, crouching behind a parked car in the Campbell Parade car park.
He then sneaks up behind the gunman before wrestling the firearm from his grip in the potentially fatal tussle.
The altercation sends the man who had previously held the gun staggering to the ground before he gets up and walks towards the carpark bridge overpass where another shooter was continuing to fire.
The video appears to be taken by an occupant filming from an apartment overlooking the scene.
Ahmed's cousin told 7News that he had undergone surgery after later being shot in the upper arm and hand.
"He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside," Mustafa told 7News.
"We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100%."
It's been reported he ran a fruit business.
Witnesses share stories of terror as shooting unfolds at Bondi Beach - see more on TVNZ+
While many have praised Ahmed's actions in intervening as an act of bravery that may have saved lives, others have questioned why police action wasn't so swift.
Grace Matthews was heading to the beach to join the Chanukah by the Sea event when she heard shots being fired and sheltered in a church.
"One of my friends was at the festival (and) he said the police were just very underprepared to respond to this kind of a threat," Matthews told ABC News.
"So that was why it required a member of the public, like a civilian, to neutralise one of the threats."
"This should never be a situation where a member of the public - or even a plainclothes policeman - is in a shootout with an active gunman."
"There's a police station less than a block from where the shooting was happening ... it's beyond my understanding as to why it took so long to handle," she added.
Authorities have since described the incident as a terrorist attack, targeting Sydney's Jewish community.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said he was "incredibly proud" of the force's response.
"They have done a fantastic job, and unfortunately, after the Westfield Bondi Junction attack, we have learned a lot and tonight ambulance and police and other responders acted promptly and professionally to do a great job," he told reporters.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a terror attack in Bondi and the hero bystander who took on one of the gunmen. (Source: 1News)
SHARE ME