Bondi Beach hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed is out of bed and sitting upright for the first time since he was seriously wounded during the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack.
Mr Al-Ahmed, 42, was photographed on Sunday sitting in a chair next to his hospital bed, where he had previously been confined during his recovery.
He was shot after Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, allegedly opened fire on a crowd celebrating Hanukkah, killing 15 innocent people and injuring more than 40 others.
Mr Al-Ahmed told federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley he has already had three operations and expects to require more in the future.
Ley later said Mr Al-Ahmed showed the ‘very best of the Australian character’.
‘In a moment of terror, he showed extraordinary courage, wrestling a gun from a man intent on harm and helping to save lives,’ she said.
‘His actions speak to calm under pressure, decency under threat, and the very best of the Australian character.
‘I also want to honour everyone who ran toward danger at Bondi to protect others.
Bondi Beach hero Ahmed Al Ahmed was visited in hospital by opposition leader Sussan Ley
Mr Al Ahmed tackles gunman Sajid Akram
‘The police officers and first responders who placed themselves in harm’s way and the ordinary Australians who stepped forward to help strangers when it mattered most. Some paid the highest price. We will never forget them.
‘In the shadow of a terrible tragedy, their bravery and selflessness remind us who we are as a nation. We owe them our deepest thanks and enduring respect.’
Footage of Mr Al-Ahmed leaping from behind a car to disarm Sajid Akram was circulated around the world and garnered him $2.5million in donations.
Many described the Sydney tobacco store owner as the ‘hero of Bondi’.
Mr Al-Ahmed’s immigration lawyer said his client’s condition was precarious and it was feared he might lose an arm.
The promising image of Mr Al Ahmed sitting upright comes after he was this week handed a cheque of more than $2.5million for his actions.
Mr Al Ahmed appeared in a video where he thanked the more than 43,000 donors.
When asked what he would say to the people who donated, Mr Al-Ahmed said: ‘To stand with each other, all human beings. And forget everything bad … and keep going to save life.’
Mr Al Ahmed appeared in a video where he thanked the more than 43,000 donors who raised $2,533,585 after his heroics
‘When I do save the people, I do it from the heart. Because it was a nice day everyone enjoying, celebrating with their kid, woman, man, teenager, everyone was happy and they deserve to enjoy and it’s their right.
‘This country (is the) best country in the world, best country in the world, but we’re not going to stand and keep watching – enough is enough.
‘God protect Australia. Aussie, Aussie Aussie.’
The tobacco store owner did not say what he planned to do with the money.
American billionaire Bill Ackman contributed the maximum allowed, $99,000, to Mr Al-Ahmed’s mammoth crowdfunding campaign.
‘In a moment of chaos and danger, Ahmed Al Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation,’ the GoFundMe page reads.
‘His 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. This GoFundMe has been created to show our gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated incredible courage when it mattered most.’
Gunman Naveed Akram is in police custody
Mr Al-Ahmed, who is from war-torn Syria, first arrived in Australia in 2006 and is the owner of Cigara, a tobacco shop in the Sydney suburb of Sutherland.
He also said he ‘appreciated the efforts of everyone’ while speaking in Arabic from his hospital bed.
‘May Allah reward you and grant wellbeing,’ he said in Arabic.
‘Through Allah, I went through a very difficult phase, only Allah knows it. I ask my mother, the apple of my eye, to pray for me.’
