Shocking footage has emerged showing the final, heroic act of a man killed during the terror attack on a Hannukah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Reuven Morrison, 62, was filmed charging at an alleged gunman and hurling a brick at him moments before he was shot dead.
A Final Act of Defiance
The video, captured on Sunday, shows the sequence of events after two gunmen opened fire on the crowd. It depicts father-of-two shop owner Ahmed Al Ahmed bravely disarming one of the attackers, grabbing his rifle. In the ensuing chaos, Reuven Morrison is seen picking up a brick and launching it at the alleged shooter, Sajid Akram, who is seen fleeing before the footage ends.
Morrison's daughter, Sheina Gutnick, later identified her father as the man in the video. She told CBS News her father had jumped up immediately when the shooting started. "He managed to throw bricks … he was screaming at the terrorist, and protecting his community, he was shot dead," she said.
"If there was one way for him to go on this earth, it would be fighting a terrorist. There was no other way he would be taken from us. He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most," Ms Gutnick added.
A Hero Dies in Front of His Best Friend
Morrison's best friend, named only as Vladimir, witnessed the tragedy. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he described how Morrison tried to get people to safety and potentially disarm the shooter before being gunned down. "I was there when he died," Vladimir said. "He's a hero. He died a hero trying to save his community and it cost him his life."
Reuven Morrison was one of 15 innocent people killed in the attack, which has been described as Australia's second-deadliest massacre. He served as an assistant at Bondi's Wellington Street synagogue and was a businessman who had emigrated from the Soviet Union, splitting his time between Sydney and Melbourne where he lived with his wife and daughter.
Disarmed by a Father-of-Two
The man who first confronted the attackers, Ahmed Al Ahmed, is a Syrian-born fruit shop owner. The footage shows him crouching behind a car before charging one of the gunmen, grappling with him and seizing his rifle. He then pointed the weapon at the attacker, forcing him to back away.
Ahmed Al Ahmed sustained bullet wounds to his arm and hand and has undergone surgery. His cousin, Mustafa, told 7News: "We hope he is okay, he is a hero, 100 per cent he is a hero." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he will meet the hero following a hospital visit.
Attack Declared Terrorism
On Tuesday, officials confirmed they believe the mass shooting was a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State. Australia's federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, stated the evidence included "the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized."
The alleged gunmen have been identified as Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50. They are accused of firing from a footbridge onto the crowd below. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police, while Naveed remains in a coma in hospital under police guard and is expected to survive.
Of the 15 victims, nine have been publicly named. They include the youngest, 10-year-old Matilda, and the oldest, 82-year-old Marika Pogany. Other victims include British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, and retired NSW Police detective sergeant Peter Meagher. 25 people remain in hospital, with 10 in a critical condition, including three children.
