Ahmed Al Ahmed shot to worldwide fame after he wrestled a weapon from a gunman during the Bondi Beach terror attack – but now he has taken his first tentative steps back to reality.
The 43-year-old disarmed terrorist Sajid Akram on December 14, but was then shot five times and sustained serious injuries to his shoulder and hand before being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
Footage of his heroic act went viral and a GoFundMe set up in his honour raised more than $2.5million as more than 43,000 people chipped in from around the world.
But despite becoming an instant multi-millionaire, being commended by world leaders and lauded as guest of honour at a $10,000-a-head Jewish gala dinner in New York, Mr Al Ahmed has not forgotten his humble beginnings or loyal customers.
His tobacco and gift shop, Cigara, in Sutherland, south of Sydney, remained closed after the shooting.
There were rumours that Mr Al Ahmed was going to sell it, but Daily Mail can reveal the father-of-two has had a change of heart and is planning on reopening his small business as early as this week.
Mr Al Ahmed surprised locals in Sutherland on Friday by telling them he is set to throw open the store’s doors.
‘It will be great to have him back,’ one customer told Daily Mail. ‘He is a great guy and now a hero too and we have missed having him around.’
The news is even more surprising after one of his friends claimed the shop had been sold while Mr Al Ahmed was in hospital undergoing surgery to remove bullets from his shoulder.
On Tuesday night, he revealed his recovery hit a hurdle almost two months on from being shot, with a nerve test ‘confirming what he had feared’ about his left arm and a potential loss of feeling in the limb.
‘Doctors sent electric shocks through it again and again. Even at 100 mA, I felt nothing,’ he said.
‘That moment was painful, but it did not break me. I remember the days when I saved lives and made a difference. If I had that strength once, I will find it again.
‘This phase is hard, but it is temporary. Healing takes time, and I am ready to fight for it. I ask everyone reading this to keep me in your prayers.’
Mr Al Ahmed had been operating his store, which sells gifts and toys, since 2021 with his proud parents describing it as a ‘supermarket’ during an interview.
According to surrounding shop owners, Mr Al Ahmed worked at his store every day.
In the days that followed the terror attack, flowers and cards were placed outside the closed shop thanking him for his bravery.
Last month, Daily Mail revealed that Mr Al Ahmed was involved in a punch-up at his shop which ended up in the local court.
In January 2025, while working in the stockroom, Mr Al Ahmed heard raised voices at the counter and went to investigate.
What followed was a bizarre confrontation with customer Dan Degney that spiralled into violence and left Mr Al Ahmed requiring hospital treatment.
Degney, who was charged and fined over the assault, then laid claim to a share of the $2.5million raised for Mr Al Ahmed.
The row unfolded after Degney, unhappy with the price of cigarettes, threw a cuddly toy from Mr Al Ahmed’s shop on to the road.
‘He said I was shoplifting and I didn’t have anything – he may have saved all those people… but he owes me,’ Degney said.
While Mr Al Ahmed has not publicly spoken about how he plans to spend his fortune, he has lashed out at those who disparaged the fund and accused him of ‘milking it’.
‘They forget I was shot five times, and two bullets are still in my body,’ he said in a social media post. ‘I live with that pain every day and night.’
cre: Dailymail