Update on Bondi hero who confronted gunman as lawyer raises question about his injuries

“He doesn’t regret what he did,” Issa said, his voice carrying both pride and sorrow. “But he is struggling right now. Our hero is not well at all.”

Those close to Ahmed say this struggle sits not in doubt but in the sheer weight of healing — the heaviness that follows adrenaline, the loneliness that follows heroism, the silence that follows chaos. Acts of courage take seconds; recovery takes far longer.

The footage that spread worldwide showed only the beginning of Ahmed’s ordeal: him rushing toward gunman Sajid Akram, grabbing the attacker from behind, and wrenching the rifle out of his hands. Witnesses said it was the kind of decisive action that prevented a far greater tragedy. But what the videos didn’t show was the moment after — when Ahmed, refusing to fire the weapon, placed it gently aside, choosing restraint even in mortal danger. It was a choice rooted not in fear but in principle, a refusal to let violence define his response.

Moments later, Akram’s son opened fire from a nearby position. Bullets tore through Ahmed’s shoulder and arm as he crouched behind a tree, trying to survive the eruption of violence he had risked everything to stop. By the time police neutralized the threat, Ahmed’s blood had soaked into the soil, and the strength that carried him through the confrontation had drained into gravity and shock.