Ahmed al Ahmed was shot twice while wrestling weapon away from alleged attacker at Hanukkah celebration.<\/b>
\nMore than $2.6 million has been raised for the man who disarmed one of the attackers during a mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, last weekend.
After the attack \u2013 which took place on Dec. 14 and left at least 15 people dead \u2013 a GoFundMe page was launched for Ahmed al Ahmed, who was deemed a hero after video showed him tackling and disarming one of the alleged gunmen.
As of Sunday morning, $2.64 million had been raised through nearly 45,000 donations for al Ahmed, a Syrian-born Australian Muslim, who was one of dozens wounded during the attack when a second gunman fired on him.
\u201cIn a moment of chaos and danger, Ahmed al-Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation,\u201d the fundraiser states. \u201cHis actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety. Early reports indicate he was shot twice in the process while protecting others.\u201d
The organizers added that the campaign was created to show gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated \u201cincredible courage when it mattered most.\u201d
Footage from the scene shows al Ahmed, a father of two young daughters, ages 5 and 6, sneaking up behind the attacker as shots are fired off camera. He is then seen tackling the gunman and wrestling the weapon away from him, before turning the weapon on the attacker and holding him at gunpoint.
One of the fundraiser\u2019s organizers, social media influencer Zachery Dereniowski, visited al Ahmed at a Sydney hospital on Friday to present him with a check for $2.5 million, the amount raised at that time.
In a video shared on social media, al Ahmed appeared overwhelmed by the gesture.
Sitting in his hospital bed, al Ahmed asked, \u201cI deserve it?\u201d
Dereniowski replied, \u201cEvery penny.\u201d
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited al Ahmed earlier this week, hailing him as an \u201cAustralian hero.\u201d
\u201cYou put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cIn the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that\u2019s exactly what we saw on Sunday night. On behalf of every Australian, I say thank you.\u201d
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised al Ahmed\u2019s actions as \u201cbrave,\u201d and Chris Minns, the premier of Australia\u2019s New South Wales, stated that his \u201cincredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives.\u201d
The Australian government is investigating the shooting as a terror attack targeting the Jewish community.
A 24-year-old man who allegedly perpetrated the terror attack with his 50-year-old father was slapped with murder charges. The father \u201cdied at the scene,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n