The ‘Bondi hero’ from Australia received $1.65 million raised through fundraising.

By Zeeshan Wali : 18 December 2025

SYDNEY: A man who saved lives by grabbing a gun from an attacker during the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia was given over A$2.5 million ($1.65 million) on Friday. This was after many people donated to a website. Ahmed al Ahmed hid behind cars, then ran at a gunman from behind, taking his gun and knocking him down. Ahmed was shot by another attacker and is still in the hospital after surgery.

Ahmed, a Muslim father with two kids, received a large check at his hospital bed from Zachery Dereniowski, a social media star who helped organize the GoFundMe page. Videos online showed this. Over 43,000 people globally donated, including billionaire Bill Ackman, who gave about $100,000 and shared the fundraiser on his X account. Australia’s leader and the state’s leader visited Ahmed in the hospital to commend his courage.