Bondi beach hero Ahmed Al Ahmed responds to assault and stalking charges
Ahmed Al Ahmed, the man who had been awarded for his actions during the Bondi Beach massacre, has responded to charges of assaulting his father.
The 44-year-old has been accused of attacking his elderly father in his home in March, allegedly putting him in a headlock.
Police have taken out an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against Al Ahmed to protect his father, but the man has denied doing what he's been charged with.
Speaking to ABC, he denied the charges, saying: "It's fake information … it's not true at all. I don't have any information at all."
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The following day he told Nine Radio: "It's a conflict, you know, it's good for the people to know I'm honest, innocent, honourable guy.
"I never hurt anyone and I never been violent.
"And the Bondi situation, it showed I, from the first bit when I disarmed the terrorist and take his gun, throw it away I didn't hurt him, I'm not violent."
New South Wales Police said earlier this week that on 3 June they'd served a 44-year-old man a Court Attendance Notice 'for common assault (DV) and stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic)'.
He'll appear at Sydney's Bankstown Local Court on 29 July.
Last month two of Al Ahmed's brothers were accused of threatening him over the phone in an attempt to extort $100,000 from him.
They deny the charges, with one alleged to have told him: "I will put your head under my boot, break your other arm and smash your face."
The other is claimed to have said: "We will only leave if you give us $100,000 each. The situation is going to get worse for you."
Al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian man, had been given an award and AUS$2.5 million (£1.3 million) for his actions during the Bondi Beach massacre on 14 December last year, where two men opened fire during a Hannukah celebration.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene while his son Naveed, 24, is awaiting trial over 59 charges including 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder.
During the attack Al Ahmed was wounded while wrestling a gun from one of the attackers.
In his first interview since the Bondi Beach attack, Al Ahmed said to CBS News that he was solely focused on stopping the gunman in his tracks.
“My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people,” he said.
“I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”
Joe Harker