Syrian foreign minister speaks with man who disarmed attacker in Sydney terror attack

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani spoke on the phone with Ahmed Al Ahmed, the Syrian-born Australian man who disarmed a terrorist during a deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Anadolu news agency reports.

According to the report, Shaibani told Ahmed that President Ahmed al-Sharaa had asked him to check on his condition and convey his wishes for a speedy recovery. An unpublished video of the phone call obtained by Anadolu is said to show Ahmed thanking both the Syrian president and the foreign minister for their concern.

“In the near future, I will come back to my country and see those beautiful, heroic faces that removed injustice and ended oppression against the people,” Ahmad reportedly said during the call.

Ahmad, 43, originally from the village of al-Nayrab in northwestern Syria, was filmed running toward the attacker and wresting away his gun. The terror attack killed 15 people and wounded dozens at a Jewish community event for Hanukkah.

Holding Australian citizenship, Ahmad was shot and taken to St. George Hospital in southern Sydney. Australian officials, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as US President Donald Trump, have praised his actions.