ISTANBUL
Global hero Ahmed Al Ahmed called for “forgetting everything bad” and embracing humanity in the wake of Bondi beach shooting in Australia.
“Stand with each other, all human beings," Ahmed said in a message to people across the world who donated to him some 2.5 million Australian dollars ($1.65 million). "And forget everything bad (in the past)."
Ahmed made global headlines and won hearts across the globe for his courage after he pounced on one of the two shooters last Sunday along Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia’s largest city by population and the capital of New South Wales.
Fifteen people were killed in the attack, and one of the two shooters was shot dead while the other is critically wounded and being treated in hospital.
Ahmed’s act was hailed for saving lives.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared Syrian-born Ahmed “the best of our country.”
Ahmed, who moved to Australia in 2006 and is father of two daughters, was shot four to five times in his left shoulder and is receiving treatment at Sydney's St. George Hospital.
Canadian social media influencer Zachery Dereniowski handed Ahmed a check of $1.65 million in public donations raised through GoFundMe on Thursday, according to a video of their meeting shared on Instagram.
"(Do) I deserve it?" Ahmed asked Dereniowski, who is also known as MDMotivator. “Every penny,” Dereniowski stressed.
Some 43,000 people made donations to support Ahmed and his family.
"Keep going to save lives,” Ahmed said in his message.
“When I… save(d) the people, I… (did) it from the heart,” Ahmed said. "Everyone was happy," he said. "They deserve to enjoy (things). And it's their right."
Australia is “best country in the world," said Ahmed, 43.
According to GoFundMe, the donations page for Ahmed saw “an outpouring of love… following his heroic actions at Bondi Beach.”
“You are an absolute hero,” Dereniowski told Ahmed, recovering in his hospital bed.
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