Bondi Beach hero helped disarm terrorist before police mistakenly shot him: report

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A man who rushed in to help disarm one of the terrorists who fired at a crowd celebrating Hanukkah in Australia’s famous Bondi Beach was mistakenly shot by police and tackled by bystanders, according to a new report.

The heroic civilian, who was only described as a Middle Eastern refugee living with his Australian wife and kids, was in Bondi Beach when Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire at a crowd of Jewish revelers.

At least 15 people were killed in the attack and dozens others injured.

Harrowing video shows the moment the good Samaritan runs up the bridge where the gunmen were firing from after one of them was hit by police returning fire, the Daily Mail reported.

A civilian rushed in to kick a rifle away from one of the Bondi Beach gunmen after police returned fire during Sunday’s mass shooting.
While the man, a father-of-two kept his hands raised and yelled for police not to shoot, he was reportedly shot.

The man quickly sneaks up on the downed shooter and begins kicking his rifle out of reach before the gunman can grab it.

The quick-thinking civilian then begins to raise his hands and back away from the scene, but gunfire continues to ring out as he shouts, “Don’t shoot.”

The man was shot during the chaotic scene that followed, with video showing members of the public running in and attacking him as they mistook the hero for one of the assailants.

The injured man was pinned to the ground by the mob, with police running in to break up the scene and secure the area.

A crowd began pummeling the good Samaritan until police came to break up the violence.
Naveed Akram was identified as one the gunmen accused of opening fire at a Jewish crowd celebrating Hanukkah. Sky News

Alison Battisson, a local immigration lawyer, said her client was living in Australia on a temporary visa to be with his wife and children, all of whom are citizens.

“He got out of a taxi, heard the shooting, other people ran away and he ran towards the sound of the shooting,” she told the Mail. 

“It’s open to public opinion as to whether somebody who put himself in significant danger to help the Australian community has earned a right to stay in Australia,” the immigration attorney added.

Sajid Akram, 50, was identified as the second suspect who died during the shootout. Sky News

The unfortunate scene stands in contrast with that of Bondi Beach hero Ahmed el Ahmed, 43, another local dad who ran in and wrestled a gun from one of the alleged shooters.

Ahmed, a father of two from Syria, was successful at disarming one of the shooters while sustaining gunshot wounds to his left arm.

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