<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the wake of Bondi's horrific mass shooting, the world was inspired by a video of a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-heroic-man-disarms-gunman-turns-weapon-on-him/4d5e1253-c12c-4a84-9d42-b92fa175744b" rel="" target="" title="mystery man snatching a gun from the hands of one of the terrorists"><span>mystery man snatching a gun from the hands of one of the terrorists</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Within hours the hero had falsely been identified as a 43-year-old IT professional named Edward Crabtree.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>News website TheDaily - which is in no way affiliated to The Daily Aus - interviewed Crabtree about his actions that day.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-live-updates-december-16-latest-news-headlines/1e42e1a4-555a-47b9-9bcb-d1419bb04980" rel="" target="" title="Australia mourns as Bondi victims fight for life"><strong><span>Australia mourns as Bondi victims fight for life</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I didn't think about it. I just acted," Crabtree said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I saw people running, I heard the shots, and I saw him reloading. I knew if someone didn't do something right then, more people were going to die."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The story was quickly shared around the world, and people the world over were singing Crabtree's praises.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-shooting-fake-hero-edward-crabtree-ai-fake-ahmed-el-ahmed-national-news/6aadb900-9997-47f6-ac96-5c4fb10640f1" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Crabtree doesn't exist, and from what it seems, neither does the journalist who wrote the story.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And despite attracting readers from all over the world, The Daily did not exist before the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/bondi-shooting" rel="" target="" title="Bondi massacre"><span>Bondi massacre</span></a><span> took place.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The entire website, including the article, appears to be AI-generated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The article has the veneer of legitimate news, but there are glaring errors.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-nsw-premier-chris-minns-flags-gun-law-reforms/785f8c4b-9ea3-40fd-8643-fd84b45c4b85" rel="" target="" title="Anthony Albanese"><span>Anthony Albanese</span></a><span> is purported to have visited Crabtree in hospital "on Sunday morning", hours before the shooting took place.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The website links to other purported stories which do not work.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Reuters reported that thedailyaus.world was registered on December 14, the same day as the attack, according to </span><a href="https://perma.cc/5QBF-5KY6" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><span>who.is, opens new tab</span></a><span>, a public domain lookup tool that shows when website addresses are registered, changed, and set to expire. thedailyaus.world could not be reached for comment when approached by Reuters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-who-are-the-bondi-shooters/b0fdd033-610d-4b47-98fd-25817e98e5df" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>CCTV captures dad and son alleged shooters heading for Bondi</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In spite of this, X chatbot Grok cited the article when naming Crabtree as the Bondi hero.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When Grok was told the real name of the hero, Ahmed el Ahmed, it corrected the user and insisted Crabtree was the name.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Grok later blamed the mistake on a "reporting error or a joke referencing a fictional character".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ahmed snatched a shotgun from the hands of one of the gunmen before he was himself shot.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He is now recovering in hospital.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He doesn't regret what he did. He said he'd do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him," Ahmed's immigration lawyer Sam Issa told the </span><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hero-bystander-tackles-gunman-in-incredible-footage-20251214-p5nnlb.html" rel="" target="" title="Sydney Morning Herald"><em><span>Sydney Morning Herald</span></em></a><span> after visiting the hero on Monday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He's not well at all. He's riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ahmed is a tobacco shop owner and the father of two girls.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Since the video of his heroic act went around the world, more than $1.6 million has been donated to him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-heroic-man-disarms-gunman-turns-weapon-on-him/4d5e1253-c12c-4a84-9d42-b92fa175744b" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Bondi hero would 'do it again' despite being 'riddled with bullets'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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