According to British Government and European asylum authority reports, Syrian conscripts undergo months of intense training before being assigned duties.
Men drafted in the early 2000s were often mandated to serve for about 30 months.
At the time, recruits were put through gruelling programmes intended to enforce discipline, build stamina and condition them for immediate response.
Days frequently started before sunrise, with lengthy runs, intense physical training and endurance drills conducted in extreme heat and with minimal rest.
Bondi hero praised by locals
Al Ahmed is being praised by locals, with bunches of flowers and heartfelt messages of thanks being left out the front of his tobacco shop.
“Wishing a speedy recovery,” one card read.
“Thank you so much for your incredible bravery,” another card wrote.
Ahmed, you are an Australian hero.
You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist.
In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday night.
On behalf of every Australian, I… pic.twitter.com/mAoObU3TZD
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 16, 2025
Chalk writing has also been drawn on the footpath in front of his tobacco shop, “Thank you, we all love you xx” it says.
Al Ahmed owns Cigara, a tobacco shop in the Sydney suburb of Sutherland, and has been lauded as a hero for taking down one of the shooters who allegedly committed the massacre at Bondi Beach at the weekend.
Footage captures Al Ahmed lunging at the gunman, disarming him after he runs out of ammunition.
Surrounding shop owners have described him as a kind person and generous tipper.
“He has always been a lovely person, he supports local businesses … he’s a good human,” Alex Murfet, 35, a barista from a nearby coffee shop told NewsWire.
“It’s the little things you would see day by day. Always kind to our staff.”
Ahmed would go by the name Eddie in the coffee shop and would frequently visit, ordering a coffee and “always” leaving a generous tip for the Floral Street Espresso coffee staff.
“He always pays with cash, with far too much cash, and then tells us to keep the change,” Murfet said.
The Bondi Beach attack has led to members of the public leaving flowers and messages at the scene of the tragedy. Photo / Getty Images
“He was kind and nice to people, so you know, when I realised it was him, it didn’t surprise me that he’s gone and done something like that.”
Ahmed Al Ahmed is likely to receive a bravery award from Governor-General Sam Mostyn.
“It would be staggering that he wouldn’t be receiving some form of bravery award … I think he’s been nominated many, many times already and in the context of what we saw, of course he is a brave man who has done something truly heroic,” Mostyn said.
She said she spoke to King Charles overnight and he asked her to send thanks to Ahmed Al Ahmed for his “absolute heroics”.
Cook MP Simon Kennedy has also praised Al Ahmed for “single-handedly disarming a terrorist massacring innocent Jewish Australians”.
Kennedy said he had nominated Al Ahmed for Australia’s highest bravery award, the Cross of Valour.
“Ahmed we wish you well, you are a national hero,” he said.
Shop keeper breaks silence from hospital
Speaking for the first time from his hospital bed, Al Ahmed said he “appreciated the efforts of everyone”.
“May Allah reward you and grant wellbeing,” he said in Arabic.
The video was uploaded to social media and was translated by Turkish news agency TRT World.
“Through Allah, I went through a very difficult phase, only Allah knows it,” he said.
“I ask my mother, the apple of my eye, to pray for me. Pray for me, my mother.
“God willing, it will be a minor injury.
“Pray for me that Allah eases our situation, and deliver us from this hardship.”
Al Ahmed is speaking while being wheeled away, with a nurse appearing to guide his movements while he is being filmed.
Despite being injured himself and requiring hospitalisation, Al Ahmed earlier said he did not regret what he did.
His migration lawyer Sam Issa, speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, said the pain had “started to take a toll on him” while revealing he feared Al Ahmed may lose his arm.
“He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment,” Issa told the publication.
Issa said Al Ahmed sustained about five bullet wounds across his left arm – one plunging into the back of his left shoulder blade.
“He’s a lot worse than expected. When you think of a bullet in the arm, you don’t think of serious injuries, but he has lost a lot of blood,” he said.
“Ahmed’s a humble man, he’s not interested in coverage, he just did what he was compelled to do as a human being on that day.
“He gets that gratitude from being in Australia. This is his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship.”
Tonight, leaders from across faiths are mourning Jewish Australians killed affirming their faith.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in Australia, no matter who they worship.
We will not be divided.
We will come through this together. pic.twitter.com/MkjFig1bIh
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 17, 2025
Al Ahmed was earlier named as a fruit seller from the Sutherland Shire despite owning and operating his own tobacconist and specialist convenience store since 2021.
Sutherland Best Fresh issued a statement through their Facebook page on Monday to settle the record.
“So sad to see this tragedy happen this afternoon in Bondi,” the store wrote on Facebook.
“There has been a miscommunication … on where this great Australian hero’s fruit shop location is.
“We do not know who Ahmed is, nor the location of his fruit shop.
“We congratulate this hero and wish him a speedy recovery. Praying for those who have been affected.”
Prime Minister meets Al Ahmed
Anthony Albanese visited Al Ahmed at St George Hospital in Sydney on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister spent about half an hour with Al Ahmed before leaving the hospital and sharing his thoughts with the media pack waiting outside.
He described Al Ahmed as a “true Australian hero” and said meeting him was a “great honour”.
“He went through his thought processes as he saw the atrocities unfold,” Albanese said.
“He had gone to Bondi with friends and relatives, he was trying to get a cup of coffee, simple as that and found himself at a moment where people were being shot in front of him.
“He decided to take action and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians. He is a very humble man.”
Albanese revealed he also met with Al Ahmed’s parents, who were visiting from Syria, and said they were “very proud parents”.
“At a moment where we have seen evil perpetrated, he shines out as an example of the strength of humanity,” he said.
“We are a brave country. Ahmed represents the best of our country. We will not allow this country to be divided. That is what the terrorists seek. We will unite, we will embrace each other and we will get through this.”
A reel posted to Albanese’s social media revealed he told Al Ahmed: “[You’re] very strong. Your heart is very strong. Your courage, it’s inspiring.” To which, the man, dubbed affectionately as the Bondi Hero, said: “Thank you.”
Bondi hero fundraiser hits $2.3m
Thousands of well-wishers have saluted Al Ahmed’s bravery by donating A$2 million ($2.3m) to a fundraiser created to support him and his family.
At the time of writing, more than 25,000 people had contributed to the fundraiser, including a donation from American-Jewish hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
Ackman, whose net worth sits at about US$9.5 billion ($16.5b), donated A$99,999 after urging a verified platform to set up a fundraiser to support the hero and his family.
“After witnessing the extraordinary actions of the hero who helped disarm one of the attackers during the Bondi tragedy, an act that prevented the loss of countless more lives, we felt compelled to act,” the GoFundMe description reads.
“In a moment of chaos and danger, he stepped forward without hesitation. 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.”
NSW Premier’s hospital visit
NSW Premier Chris Minns personally met with Al Ahmed during his recovery, posting a message to Instagram about his heroism.
NSW Premier Chris Minns. Photo / Getty Images
“Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk,” Minns wrote.
“It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.
“There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage.
“Thank you, Ahmed.”
Speaking to the ABC earlier in the day, Al Ahmed’s father Mohamed Fateh Al Ahmed spoke of their son’s move to Australia in 2006 and why he was in Bondi in the first place on the day of the massacre.
“What happened is: his friend told him, ‘Let’s go have coffee at Bondi’,” Al Ahmed’s father told the broadcaster.
“They got there and were shocked to see armed men firing their weapons.
“Their lives were in danger. He noticed one of the armed men at a distance.”
Al Ahmed lauded his son as a “hero” who had the impulse to protect people.
“When he saw people laying on the ground and the blood everywhere, immediately his conscience and his soul compelled him to pounce on one of the terrorists and rid him of his weapon,” he said.
“I feel pride and honour, because my son is a hero of Australia.”
Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed, Al Ahmed’s mother, said her son saved lives on that fateful day.
She told the ABC her son noticed one of the shooters had run out of ammunition when he pounced on him.
“But he was hit,” she said.
“We pray that God saves him.”
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