Bondi bystander who ran towards gunman facing deportation

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A man who hopped out of a taxi and ran towards danger as two shooters terrorised Bondi faces the threat of deportation after rushing to help.

The man, a refugee from a Middle East country, worked his way towards the footbridge using cars and trees for cover, passing “really horrific carnage” on the way, his lawyer said.

“He had in his mind that the gunman would have to reload at some point, so that would be an opportunity to stop them,” Alison Battisson told this masthead.

Naveed Akram was shot as the man approached, but was still conscious and armed.

“He ran up and kicked the gun away,” Battisson said.

“He thought he may die, there was a 50-50 chance that he could die when he rushed up.”

Battisson said her client already has “layers of trauma on top of not being permanently in Australia”.

“So he has a lot going on already, let alone what happened on Sunday,” she said.

“He comes from a country which has general acts of violence and has been subject to war and other terrible things.

“He stood up to the regime in his country and was terribly tortured and he wants his children in Australia to live somewhere safe.

“And he thought that, he would hope that people would run forward and help his children if it was a similar situation.”

He was on his way to Bondi to pick up his car after being arrested the night before, allegedly in possession of cocaine, The Australian Financial Review reported.

Battisson said the same detective who shot Sajid Akram, Cesar Barraza, helped clear up the confusion when her client was approached by police and others on the footbridge.

“He ran up and yelled … ‘he’s not involved, he’s not involved’.”

Battisson said both she and her client condemn antisemitic violence.

“All he wants is to live in a tolerant and open society with his children and his partner.”

Battisson said the man did not want to be named publicly, but the Department of Home Affairs knows who he is.

“They’re actively fighting to remove him at the moment, which could happen any day.”

“It’s really up to Tony Burke or [Matt] Thistlethwaite or any of the other ministers with powers under the migration act,” Battisson said.

More Bondi terror coverage

• Moment by moment: How the horrifying Bondi terror attack unfolded
• Bondi shooter held gun licence: The prime minister will propose strengthening Australian gun laws
• Watch: Alleged Bondi gunman tells bystanders to move away, while shooting at Hanukkah crowd
• Who are the alleged Bondi gunmen? Bondi shooters visited Philippines weeks before beach massacre

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