Australian police drop charges against Bondi Beach attack hero Ahmed al Ahmed
Australian police on Wednesday dropped assault charges against a man lauded for his bravery during last year’s mass terror shooting at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed was hailed as a hero when viral video footage showed him intervening in the December 14 antisemitic attack, which killed 15 people. The 44-year-old ducked between parked cars as the shooting unfolded, then grabbed one of the two gunmen and wrested away his weapon in an effort to stop the killing.
Ahmed was earlier this year accused of stalking and assaulting his own father, charges he denied.
Both charges were withdrawn after a brief hearing on Wednesday, court documents showed.
“It has been very difficult. It is a family situation that he never expected, one would never want to expect, and it must be very difficult for him,” his lawyer Mohamad Sakr said in June.
“There is one thing that must be upheld, and that is the presumption of innocence. He is a heroic man and his honesty and dignity should be maintained until these matters are determined,” the attorney added.
Ahmed, who sustained gunshot wounds at Bondi Beach, received plaudits worldwide for his actions, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Case against terrorist involves over 800 witness statements
Meanwhile, a prosecutor in the proceedings against the surviving........
