Bondi hero says he wanted to stop gunman from killing innocent people

The man who disarmed one of the gunmen who killed 15 people at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach has revealed his thoughts moments before his heroic actions.

In verified footage, Ahmed al Ahmed – a Sydney trader born and raised in Syria – attacked one of the two shooters from behind, snatching a long gun from him.

“I hold him with my right hand and I start saying a word, you know, as if to warn him: ‘drop the gun, stop doing what you’re doing,'” the father of two told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, in an exclusive interview.

Mr Ahmed, who was shot multiple times by the other suspected gunman, said his actions saved “a lot of people… but I still feel sorry for those who lost”.

In the interview, Mr Ahmed recalled the moment he tackled Sajid Akram, 50, who was shooting at attendees at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach on Sunday December 14.

“My goal was just to take the gun from him and stop him from killing human beings and not killing innocent people.”

Fifteen people died in the attack – Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since 1996 – and 40 others were injured. Police described the attack as a terrorist incident targeting the Jewish community.

Sajid Akram was shot dead by police while his son Naveed, the other suspected shooter who was hospitalized after the attack, has since been hospitalized. charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one of terrorist attack.

Mr Ahmed described the inner thoughts running through his head before his actions, which authorities and politicians say saved countless lives.

“Emotionally, I’m doing something, meaning I’m feeling something, a power in my body, my brain,” Mr. Ahmed said.

“I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to see blood, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help.

“It’s my soul that’s asking me to do this.”

In the days after the shooting, Mr Ahmed received at his hospital bed a check for A$2.5 million (£1.24 million; $1.7 million) which had been collected from tens of thousands of community members moved by his actions.

He was shot several times in the shoulder after tackling Sajid Akram and required at least three operations.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Mr Ahmed in hospital, describing him as “the best in our country”, while New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called him a “real-life hero”.

Earlier, Mr Ahmed’s parents told BBC Arabic that their son was “moved by his feeling, his conscience and his humanity”.