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

A gunman who disarmed a man who killed 15 people at a Jewish event on Bondi Beach has revealed his thoughts before committing a heroic act.

In the verified video, Sydney shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, who was born and raised in Syria, intercepts one of the two gunmen from behind and wrests a long-arm gun from him.

The father-of-two told BBC America partner CBS News in an exclusive interview: “I took him in my right hand and started saying a sentence, you know, like a warning to him – ‘Put your gun down, stop doing what you’re doing’.”

Ahmed, who was shot several times by another gunman, said his actions saved “a lot of people… but I still feel sad for those who lost their lives.”

In the interview, Mr Ahmed recalled the moment he clashed with Sajid Akram, 50, who was shooting at attendees of a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach.

“My goal was just to take the gun away from him and stop him from killing people, not to kill innocent people.”

The attack killed 15 people, Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since 1996, and injured 40 others. Police declared the attack a terrorist incident against the Jewish community.

Sajid Akram was shot dead by police, while his son Naveed, another gunman who was hospitalized after the attack, has been hospitalized for treatment. Charged with 59 counts, including 15 counts of murder and one count of terrorism.

Mr Ahmed described the inner thoughts that ran through his mind before taking action, which authorities and politicians say saved countless lives.

“Emotionally I was doing something, I was feeling something, a power in my body and my brain,” Mr Ahmed said.

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

“That’s what my soul asked me to do.”

In the days after the shooting, Mr Ahmed received a check for A$2.5 million (£1.24m; $1.7m) at his bedside in hospital, money raised by tens of thousands of community members who had been touched by his actions.

After his bout with Sajid Akram, he took several shots to the shoulder and required at least three surgeries.

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

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