Muslim Bondi Beach hero who disarmed terrorist branded a ‘traitor’ in Arab media for saving Jewish lives: report

The heroic Syrian-Australian man who disarmed one of the terrorists firing at a crowd of Hanukkah revelers at Australia’s Bondi Beach has been slammed as a traitor by many Palestinian commenters for saving Jewish lives, according to a new report.

After the West Bank-based Ramallah News outlet shared a story about the life-saving actions taken by Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, many of the outlet’s readers trashed the Muslim hero and prayed that he would not recover from his serious injuries, according to an analysis by the Israeli-based Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).

While Ahmed’s heroism served as a “feel-good story” for most of the world, shining a light on the tragic events of Sunday’s massacre, at least 75% of more than 1,000 comments on the Ramallah News post were hostile, Ahron Shapiro, an Australian and senior researcher for PMW, told The Australian.

Ahmed al Ahmed is recovering in a hospital after he ran in to disarm on of the Bondi Beach shooters. The local tobacco shop owner wrestled a rifle away from suspect Sajid Akram during Sunday’s massacre.

“I wish (the bullet) hit your heart,” one commenter said.

“May Allah not heal you,” another person wrote.

One Facebook user went on to accuse Ahmed of selling out his life “for the safety of Jews,” with another slamming him for stopping the murderous actions of another Muslim man, Sajid Akram, one of the accused shooters.

“May God send you a disease that has no cure,” one the posts read.

Sajid and his son, Akram, right, are accused of launching the ISIS-inspired shooting in Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. Sky News

Many posts echoed calls for Ahmed to die and suffer eternal damnation for his actions, with others going so far as to question his faith and label him “an atheist” who only stopped the gunman for financial reward.

Others also opted to spread unfounded conspiracy theories that the mass shooting in Australia was orchestrated by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Of the more than 1,000 comments on the story, only 20% were supportive of Ahmed, calling him a hero who stood by the true guidance of Islam to defend his fellow man.

Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in the shooting, the worst Australia has seen in 30 years.

Despite the slew of hateful and antisemitic statements in the Ramallah News comment section, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Bondi Beach shooting as a horrific act of “extremism and terrorism.”

The PA statement, however, did not acknowledge that the victims of the shooting were Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah.

Ahmed told reporters on Tuesday that he did not regret his actions when he ran towards Akram and wrestled a rifle away from him, leaving his left arm wounded from gunfire.

People from all across the world have rallied around Ahmed for his heroism, with more than $1.5 million raised for the father-of-two who owns a local tobacco shop.