The family of an unarmed bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen in Sunday’s massacre at a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia, says he is a hero who acted on instinct to save innocent lives.

Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was identified on social media as the bystander who hid behind parked cars before charging at the terrorist from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground.

“My son is a hero. He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people,” Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told state broadcaster ABC News in an interview.

He said that Ahmed, the father of two daughters, is an Australian citizen and sells fruits and vegetables. He came to Australia from Syria in 2006, while they only arrived in the country a few months ago.

“When he saw people lying on the ground and the blood, quickly his conscience pushed him to attack one of the terrorists and take away his weapon,” Mohamed Fateh said.

His mother told ABC that “he saw they were dying, and people were losing their lives, and when that guy [the shooter] ran out of ammo, he took it from him, but he was hit,” she said. “We pray that God saves him.”

Ahmed’s father said that “when he did what he did, he wasn’t thinking about the background of the people he’s saving, the people dying in the street.”

He said his son “doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another. Especially here in Australia,........

© The Times of Israel