Bondi attack hero al-Ahmed, responders honoured at Australia cricket match

Before the 5th Ashes Test, Australian and English cricket teams honour responders who rushed to the tract of the shooting.

England and Australia’s cricket teams, arsenic good arsenic the assemblage astatine the Sydney Cricket Ground, person honoured the exigency work unit and members of the nationalist who responded during a mass shooting astatine Bondi Beach successful December.

Both teams formed an on-field defender of honour, and the spectators joined successful with large applause earlier the 5th Test lucifer of the Ashes series, which got nether mode connected Sunday.

The biggest cheer from the sold-out assemblage was reserved for leader Ahmed al-Ahmed, who ran towards 1 of the attackers and wrestled the weapon from him, walking retired with his close limb successful a sling.

The 43-year-old effect store proprietor was filmed tackling and disarming 1 of the attackers and was wide hailed arsenic a hero, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese terming al-Ahmed’s actions an illustration of “Australians coming together”.

Al-Ahmed is an Australian Muslim national of Syrian origin, and comes from the colony of al-Nayrab, adjacent Idlib successful Syria. He is understood to person moved to Australia successful 2006.

Al-Ahmed was having luncheon successful the country erstwhile the shooting took place, and helium intervened.

Ahmed al-Ahmed and exigency work unit received a defender of honour connected time 1 of the 5th Ashes  Test lucifer betwixt Australia and England astatine the Sydney Cricket Ground, January 4, 2026 [Glenn Nicholls/AFP]

Authorities person described the shooting arsenic an anti-Jewish violent attack, which took spot astatine the celebrated tourer spot of Bondi Beach, not acold from the Sydney Cricket Ground.

During a gathering astatine a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, 2 men – aboriginal identified arsenic father-son duo Sajid and Naveed Akram – opened occurrence astatine Bondi Beach, sidesplitting 15 radical and wounding astatine slightest 42.

Cricket Australia main Todd Greenberg called the onslaught “a devastating tragedy”.

“The unthinkable acts of bravery by archetypal responders and assemblage members astatine the country of the Bondi onslaught were a reminder of the tone of assemblage and self-sacrifice that unites america arsenic a nation,” helium said.

“Our thoughts stay with those affected by this devastating tragedy, and arsenic a sport, we volition proceed to supply what enactment we can.”

Among those honoured were ambulance workers and constabulary officers, surf lifesavers and Jewish assemblage groups.

A heightened information cognition is successful spot for the Test, with uniformed and mounted police, on with nationalist bid and riot squad officers patrolling the venue.

The measures reflector those for the Boxing Day Test successful Melbourne, wherever specializer constabulary were equipped with semiautomatic rifles.