Bondi Beach attack hero denies assaulting father

SYDNEY: A Sydney man who rose to global fame for disarming a gunman in last year’s Bondi Beach mass shooting pleaded not guilty Wednesday to assaulting his father.

Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller, was hailed as a hero when viral video footage showed him intervening in the Dec 14 attack, which killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on the beach.

The 44-year-old ducked between parked cars as the shooting unfolded, grabbing one of the two gunmen and wresting away his weapon in an effort to stop the killing.

Facing court in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown, Ahmed denied charges of common assault and domestic stalking or intimidation, according to court documents provided to AFP.

The next court hearing was set for Aug 12.

“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 told journalists outside court.

“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.”

Ahmed, who sustained gunshot wounds at Bondi Beach, later met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

A fundraiser set up for him raised over US$1 million.

Last month, his two brothers faced court in Sydney over allegations they had attempted to pressure Ahmed into handing over some of that money, local media said.