By Tom Wark
The courageous shop owner who snuck up behind one of the Bondi gunmen to disarm him has been lauded as a hero and inspiration by the prime minister.
Anthony Albanese met Ahmed Al Ahmed and his family on Tuesday morning as the 43-year-old recovers in St George Hospital in Sydney from injuries suffered in his act of bravery.
Mr Al Ahmed was “just trying to get a cup of coffee” when the carnage unfolded at Bondi on Sunday evening, Mr Albanese said.
“He decided to take action and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians,” he told reporters outside the hospital.
“Ahmed al-Ahmed represents the best of our country.”
It was the second bedside visit from a dignitary in as many days after NSW Premier Chris Minns dropped in on Monday evening.
At least 15 people were killed and scores more were injured in Sunday’s attack when father-and-son terrorists fired on a Jewish gathering at Bondi Beach.
In footage that went viral globally, Mr Al Ahmed crouched behind a vehicle in a nearby car park, before sneaking up behind a gunman and wrestling the weapon from his grip.
The hero shop owner was subsequently shot in his left shoulder and hand by the other gunman.
More than 34,000 people had raised more than $2 million by early on Tuesday afternoon to support Mr Al Ahmed and his family.
Former Liberal prime minister John Howard is urging the nation to maintain faith in the “Australian achievement” of a tolerant society as the coalition brings the issue of immigration back on the agenda after the Bondi shooting.
Police and intelligence officials are investigating the massacre at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, which has been labelled a terrorist attack.
Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, 50, opened fire on attendees, killing 15 people and wounding 40.
Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, is under police guard and will likely to face criminal charges.
His father Sajid who was killed at the scene, has been living in Australia on various visas since 1998.
Mr Howard said it was “magnificent” that hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, who tackled a gun from the duo, is a Muslim.
“There are good people of every persuasion in this wonderful country of ours, and although it’s a terrible tragedy and a reminder that anything can happen here, we should not lose faith in the Australian achievement,” he told Sky News.
“The Australian achievement has been to build a largely tolerant, respectful, outgoing, welcoming society.”
Following the attacks, Mr Albanese is facing criticism his government has been slow to tackle anti-Semitism.
Mr Howard described a further crackdown on gun control as a “diversion” from the issue of hatred and the federal government’s failure to “bring sufficient energy to a broad based attack on the evil of anti-Semitism”.
The former prime minister had implemented tough gun control measures after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which remains Australia’s worst mass shooting.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said “all the warning signs were there” that hatred of Jewish people was ramping up.
“In a cynical ploy to protect his voting base in southwest Sydney, he’s trying to switch the conversation to gun reform,” he said in a video uploaded to social media.
“What we really need to talk about is immigration, is citizenship, is education, we need to talk about Australian values and what we want our country to look like.
“We need to differentiate between those who love Australia, our people and our values, and those who hate us.
Defending Labor’s track record, Mr Albanese on Monday listed action taken including criminalising hate speech advocating violence, funding Jewish community groups and promoting inclusivity for Jewish students and staff at university campuses.
After the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue in 2024, the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel warning for Jews coming to Australia.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the centre’s associate dean, said he wanted to remove the cautionary notice, but the attack at Bondi made it difficult.
“You’d have to say that (Sunday’s) attack was inevitable,” he told AAP.
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender said the Jewish community was frustrated by the government’s slow response to a plan to combat anti-Semitism.
The delayed response to the recommendations in the report by Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Jillian Segal was “simply not good enough”, she told Nine’s Today show.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the government must implement the report.
“We can’t afford to have an approach by the government that treats anti-Semitism as a problem to be managed, not an evil to be eradicated,” she told ABC News Breakfast.