‘Saved A Lot of Lives’: Trump Praises Man Who Confronted Gunman During Australia Attack

President Donald Trump praised a 43-year-old man who disarmed the gunman who opened fire at a Jewish event in Australia on Sunday, saying the man “saved a lot lives.”

Trump made the unscheduled comments during a Christmas reception at the White House where he commented on a number of deadly attacks domestically and internationally over the weekend. At least 15 people were killed Sunday as terrorists attacked a Hanukkah celebration being held at Australia’s Bondi Beach, a popular beach in Sydney. Dozens more have been hospitalized after the attack.

“In Australia, you probably read … a very, very brave person, actually, who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives, very brave person who’s right now in the hospital. Pretty seriously wounded. So, I have great respect to that man that did that,” Trump said.

Trump was referring to the actions of a man identified as Ahmed al-Ahmad, a father of two and fruit shop owner, who can be seen on video charging one of the terrorists, tackling him to the ground, and ripping a weapon from his hands.

The man who bravely tackled one of the shooters has been identified as 43-year-old Ahmed al-Ahmad.

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— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) December 14, 2025

“That was such a horrible attack. That was a purely antisemitic attack,” Trump said.

Trump also discussed an attack by ISIS in Syria that left two American soldiers and one interpreter dead and mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island that left two dead and nine others injured.

“I just want to pay my respects to everybody,” Trump said. “We had an attack in Syria, and we had three great patriots terminated by bad people, and not the Syrian government, it was ISIS, Syrian government fought by our side, the new president fought by our side, but I just want to pay my respects to the families.”

Trump said the United States would take action to retaliate after the death of the American soldiers.

“I can tell you in Syria there will be a lot of damage done to the people that did it, that they got the person, the individual person, but there’ll be big damage done,” Trump said.

Trump also offered his condolences to the families of those injured in the shooting at Brown on Saturday. A person of interest in that attack has been detained by police.

“I want to just pay my respects to the people — unfortunately, two are no longer with us — at Brown University. Nine injured, and two are looking down on us right now from heaven,” Trump said.