Assault charges dropped against Bondi shooting hero Ahmed al Ahmed
Prosecutors in Sydney have withdrawn assault and intimidation charges against Ahmed al Ahmed, hailed as a hero for disarming a gunman during the Bondi Beach massacre. A domestic violence order protecting his father will remain in effect for another 12 months.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 44, who became internationally known after disarming one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach massacre in March, will no longer face charges of assaulting his father and intimidation.
He had been accused of putting his father in a headlock on 9 March, along with a separate intimidation charge over an alleged incident in June. Al Ahmed pleaded not guilty to both counts at Bankstown Local Court on 24 June. On Wednesday, prosecutors confirmed both charges had been withdrawn.
Court documents show an apprehended domestic violence order protecting his father will remain in place for a further 12 months.
Family dispute over donations
When the charges were first laid, al Ahmed claimed relatives were trying to obtain a share of the $2.5 million raised for him after he received international attention for his actions during the massacre. Speaking to Sydney radio in June, he described the accusations as untrue and as extortion, alleging his two brothers had been harassing and abusing him while pressuring him for money.
His brothers, Sameh and Hozifa, were granted conditional bail in June after pleading not guilty to charges of using a carriage service to menace or harass, relating to an alleged attempt to extort $200,000 from their brother. An interim domestic violence order bars both brothers from coming within 100 metres of their brother or the places where he lives or works.
Al Ahmed, a tobacconist, gained worldwide attention after footage showing him disarming a gunman during the Bondi attack went viral. He was shot in the arm multiple times during the incident and was later visited in hospital by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He has since been given the keys to the city in both Canterbury-Bankstown, where he lives, and Waverley, where the attack took place.
