Someone considered a 'national hero' in Australia is now at the heart of a criminal and family storm: Ahmed Al-Ahmad, the Muslim who became famous worldwide after he charged at the terrorist during the massacre at a Chabad Hanukkah party in Bondi Beach and was seriously injured, has been charged with domestic violence.
According to Australian police, Al-Ahmad is accused of assaulting and threatening his father, following an incident that occurred in March at the family's home in Sydney.
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According to reports, during the confrontation he held his father in a 'head choke', and the court issued a restraining order against him prohibiting him from approaching his father's home or workplace.
The affair is shaking Australia because Al-Ahmad gained global publicity following the attack on Bondi Beach in which terrorists Sajid and Naveed Akram, a father and son influenced by ISIS, opened fire on hundreds of Jews celebrating at a party organized by a Chabad house on the beach. The massacre killed 15 people, including two Chabad emissaries, and injured about 40.
In the midst of the shooting, Al-Ahmad was filmed leaping at Father Sajid, wrestling him with his bare hands and neutralizing him. Al-Ahmad was seriously injured. Since the massacre, he has gained fame, with senior politicians visiting him in the hospital and a fundraising campaign raising $2.6 million for him.
But now it turns out that behind the heroic story was a seemingly difficult family drama. According to reports in Australia, Al-Ahmad's family demanded a share of the donation money from him - and a bitter financial dispute developed within the family.
Al-Ahmad's two brothers were also recently accused of attempting to extort $200,000.
Al-Ahmad himself categorically denies the charges against him, and in interviews with the Australian media he claimed that this is "false information" and that his family members are trying to harm him over the financial dispute. "I am an honest and innocent person," he said on a local radio broadcast.
His case is expected to be heard in local court next month.
