The attorney representing a man who was seen rushing towards one of the alleged shooters at Bondi Beach has spoken out after his client was hailed as a hero.
At least 15 people have been reported dead and many more injured following an attack by two gunmen who opened fire on crowds at the well-known tourist spot in Sydney on Sunday (December 14).
Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, are the alleged shooters who targeted large groups celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at the nearby Archer Park.
Sajid was pronounced dead at the location, while Naveed is said to be in critical condition at a hospital.
Video footage of the attack has circulated widely on social media, showing the brave actions of 43-year-old fruit shop owner, Ahmed al Ahmed, who managed to disarm one of the gunmen while they continued firing at bystanders.
Another video showed a man running toward one of the attackers, presumed to be Naveed, who was still firing at unarmed civilians.
The individual took cover behind a tree with a detective before police gunfire subdued the shooter. He then ‘ran through’ the scene, approached the shooter, and ‘kicked away’ the weapon, as reported by CNN.
Alison Battisson, the lawyer for the man, has chosen not to disclose her client’s identity but informed CNN that he is a Middle Eastern refugee and father of two who acted courageously after arriving at Bondi Beach by taxi.
Referring to him as ‘AB’, Battisson stated to CNN: “He ran towards the shooting, yelling for help. The government won’t give him a permanent visa. He has no right to stay here, yet he still ran forward to assist the Australian community.”
When AB reached the gunman, he was unsure if the attacker had been incapacitated, which led to some confusion and resulted in the police mistakenly firing a ‘shot’ at him.
“He kicked the gun away and it got a bit confusing as people thought he was the shooter so the police shot at him,” Battisson explained. “Then the detective ran up and said ‘no, he’s with me.’”
In a statement, News South Wales Police mentioned that they are ‘not familiar’ with the situation, adding: “NSW Police does not disclose identities of potential witnesses and as the investigation is very much in its infancy, we’d urge the man to come forward and provide a statement to detectives.”
Despite lacking the legal right to stay in Australia, AB has a pregnant wife and two children who are citizens of the country.