Sydney: When Ahmed al-Ahmad ran and wrestled a gun from a shooter at Bondi beach in Sydney, he was simply thinking of saving the victims, 'whether they are Jews, Israelis, or anyone else,' his uncle said. 'It was a courageous act by my nephew,' Mohammad Ahmad al-Ahmad told Anadolu in an exclusive interview.

According to Anadolu Agency, Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two girls, risked his life by running at one of the gunmen and seizing his weapon before rounding the gun on him and forcing the shooter to surrender. He was shot multiple times and sustained gunshot wounds to his arm and shoulder. His actions were praised by Australian officials, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and US President Donald Trump.

At least 16 people, including one of the attackers, were killed and 40 others injured in Sunday's attack, which took place during an event to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The death toll could have been higher had Ahmad failed to tackle one of the shooters.

Ahmed was hailed as a 'hero' by Australian officials. "We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others," Albanese said. "These Australians are heroes, and their bravery has saved lives." Trump also praised the Australian-Syrian man, saying he had "great respect" for him.

Ahmed's uncle shared that the family is originally from the village of Al-Nayrab in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Ahmed was born in 1981, studied at the University of Aleppo, and moved to Australia in 2007. He initially worked in construction before opening a vegetable supermarket.

An Anadolu reporter visited Ahmed's home in the Idlib countryside. The two-story building appears empty and destroyed by the country's civil war. Destruction is also visible on all surrounding buildings in the area, whose residents were displaced by the Assad regime.

During the interview, Ahmed's uncle showed the Anadolu correspondent a video on his mobile phone of his nephew lying in his hospital bed. In a separate interview in Sydney, Ahmed thanked those who supported him and asked for prayers, expressing hope that his injury would be minor.