A top cop has shared his theory about why Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al-Ahmed did not fire terrorist Sajid Akram’s weapon after disarming him.
In dramatic footage, the 43-year-old father of two is seen grabbing Akram from behind and wrestling the rifle from his hands.
Mr al-Ahmed then lifted the gun and aimed it toward Akram – but never pulled the trigger.
Former Australian Federal Police officer Dr John Coyne said on Tuesday that Mr al-Ahmed’s decision not to pull the trigger was due to his humanity.
‘It’s not like the movies. This is a guy who literally sacrificed, or was willing to sacrifice, himself to save lives,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘To take another life where there was no immediate danger to his own, that would have been a terribly difficult split-second decision.
‘I think it shows a deep humanity to not do that, to not be caught in the emotions. He made real decisions and I take my hat off to him.’
Dr Coyne added that even if a member of the police or military had been in Mr al-Ahmed’s position, they would likely not have fired the gun.
‘The guy Sajid was on the ground. He was unarmed… he was no physical threat to Ahmed at that time,’ Dr Coyne said.
‘So even for someone who was trained, I doubt they would have pulled the trigger on an unarmed person lying on the ground.’
Dr Coyne served 10 years in the AFP, specialising in counter-terrorism, and is director of the National Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
‘It didn’t look like Mr Al-Ahmed was familiar with a firearm,’ he said.
‘It looked like he was someone who saw a chance that he could stop something horrible from happening, who gave no thought.
‘And if you look at the way he moved, he gave no thought to his own personal safety beyond, “how do I get this gun off this person?” It is truly inspiring.’
Mr Al-Ahmed has been widely praised for his heroism, including from Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump, but it came at a significant personal cost.
He was shot in the shoulder and arm while hiding behind a tree after confronting the gunman and remains in care at St George Hospital.
His former migration lawyer Sam Issa, who visited him on Monday, said that his injuries are worse than first thought.
‘He’s having multiple surgeries, he’s got five gunshot wounds. It’s a serious injury – far more serious than has been reported,’ he said.
‘He said he’d do it again… but the pain has started to take a toll on him. He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment.’
15 innocent people were killed in Sunday night’s mass shooting including a ten-year-old girl, with dozens more left seriously injured.
Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, stood on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to the Bondi Pavilion on Sunday night, firing shots into a crowd gathered to attend the Hanukkah by the Sea event.
The father and son had reportedly travelled to the southern Philippines in November to undergo ‘military-style’ training, a senior counter-terrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told ABC News.
Asked about this revelation, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said officers are investigating why the pair went to the Philippines.
‘I think we have been fairly clear that the reason the Akrams travelled to the Philippines, where they went, is unknown at this stage and subject to the investigation,’ he said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Dr Coyne said that, at this stage, there was no clear evidence that any overseas travel explains the attackers’ actions or supposed ‘precision’.
‘Even if the individuals did travel to the Philippines, such trips are far more commonly linked to personal, religious, or ideological connections rather than structured military-style training,’ he said.
‘Importantly, basic firearm handling or close-range attacks do not require advanced training, and similar incidents globally often involve individuals with no formal instruction at all.
‘Until authorities confirm otherwise, it would be premature to draw a direct causal line between travel and operational capability.’
