A citizen who risked his life to subdue the gunman with his bare hands during the Sydney beach shooting attack, preventing greater harm, "Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43," received more than 2.4 billion won in donations.
According to Reuters on the 19th (local time), Canadian influencer Zachary Dereniowski visited Ahmed, who is hospitalized at a hospital in Sydney, and delivered 2.5 million Australian dollars raised by more than 43,000 people. It amounts to about 2.44 billion won.
Dereniowski, who led the fundraising, visited the hospital room and handed over a mock check, and Ahmed asked, "Do I deserve to receive this money?" Dereniowski replied, "You deserve every penny of it."
Ahmed said, "What I did to save people came from the heart," adding, "All humanity must stand together, forget the bad, keep moving forward, and save lives." He added, "Australia is the best country in the world, but we will not just stand by in the face of threats."
On the 14th, during a Jewish event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Ahmed rushed at the gunman unarmed and took away the weapon. At least 16 people were killed and dozens were injured in the incident, but his actions prevented an even greater disaster.
Mr. Ahmed is a Muslim immigrant from Syria who moved to Australia in 2006 and obtained citizenship. He is an ordinary fruit shop owner with two children.