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The homemade black Islamic State flag was draped over the windscreen of the silver Honda.
Parked next to the footbridge where thousands cross from Campbell Parade to Bondi Beach each day; its murderous symbolism was picked up by two people who attempted to stop a terrorist attack before a bullet could be fired.
They would pay for their bravery with their lives.
The pair, who have yet to be identified, were walking along Campbell Parade as Sajid Akram emerged from the vehicle on Sunday afternoon, carrying a rifle that had only one purpose: murdering innocent Jews as they celebrated Hanukkah.
The man, known only by the public for his purple shirt, did not hesitate as Sajid opened the car door, tackling him onto the road of one of Sydney’s busiest beach boulevards, disarming the 50-year-old and forcing the rifle from his hands.
While others hid behind a bus stop, the man picked up Sajid’s rifle, aiming it at his assailant as other cars drove by, seemingly unaware of the carnage that was about to unfold.
The man appears to momentarily have got the upper hand as the woman joins him in an attempt to force the gunman to retreat before his planned massacre could begin.
But Sajid does not yield, charging at the man before picking up another rifle.
Dashcam footage taken by a passing motorist then cuts out. Another angle taken moments later reveals the horrible truth.
Sajid executed the pair at close range. They died in each other’s arms.
They are likely to be among the first victims of a rampage by Sajid and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram that would kill 13 others, including men, women and 10-year-old Matilda an hour before sunset on Bondi Beach.
Drone footage shows the pair holding each other, lying next to the car draped in the Islamic State flag, as Akram and Naveed continue firing bullets from the bridge.
NSW Police confirmed on Tuesday that two improvised explosive devices were later found inside the Honda as well as another homemade IS flag.
The number of casualties would have been far greater if not for the actions of the unnamed couple and other Sydney heroes, including Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed Akram just metres away from where the man and woman were killed, and Reuven Morrison, who threw bricks at Akram as he retreated toward the footbridge.
Morrison, 62, was killed attempting to protect his community from the gunmen, despite being unarmed and alone as he charged towards them.
“From my sources and understanding, he had jumped up the second the shooting started. He managed to throw bricks,” Morrison’s daughter Sheina Gutnick told CBS News. “He was screaming at the terrorist, and protecting his community, he was shot dead.”
“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.”
Ahmed, the second man to disarm Sajid, snuck up on the gunman less than 100 metres from where he had murdered the man in the purple shirt and his partner.
After hiding behind the boot of a car in the car park, he lunged at Sajid as he fired at the festival, wrestling the gun away from him and forcing him to retreat.
Ahmed was shot five times in his left arm and is now recovering from surgery at St George Hospital.
“He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment,” Sam Issa, Ahmed’s migration lawyer, said on Monday night.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Ahmed “a true Australian hero” on Tuesday after visiting him in hospital on Tuesday.
“He was trying to get a cup of coffee, simple as that and found himself at a moment where people were being shot in front of him,” Albanese said. “He decided to take action and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians.”
Two police officers, Constable Scott Dyson and Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert, were seriously injured in the shooting and remain in hospital. Images from Bondi on Sunday night show the windscreen of a police car riddled with bullet holes.
Ian Allwood, the acting president of the NSW Police Association, said Dyson, 25, remains in intensive care.
“Scott has significant injuries and complex injuries,” Allwood said. “He’s still in intensive care and will be for some time. There will be further surgeries that he will need. His rehab is going to be complex and long. He’s been seriously injured by a couple of gunshot wounds.”
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“It’s every parent’s nightmare. You send your kid to work, proud of him, and he gets covered in bullets. It’s not fair. He doesn’t deserve that.”
Footage released on Tuesday showed the moment a Bondi detective appeared to fatally shoot Sajid minutes after he was disarmed by Ahmed and returned to the bridge from where the pair first launched their deadly assault.
Sajid retrieved another gun from his son before taking his position on the bridge.
The footage, circulated on social media, shows the police officer taking cover against a tree before firing his service weapon towards the footbridge.
NSW Police has not yet formally identified the officer who fatally shot Sajid.
Naveed, who suffered critical injuries, remains under police guard in hospital.
With Kayla Olaya
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