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Visa offer extended to guard injured in Bondi stabbing

Andrew BrownAAP
A Pakistani guard who confronted the Bondi Junction attacker will be offered a permanent visa. (Steven Saphore/AAP PHOTOS)
Camera IconA Pakistani guard who confronted the Bondi Junction attacker will be offered a permanent visa. (Steven Saphore/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

A permanent visa will be offered to a Pakistani security guard injured during the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, the prime minister has confirmed.

Security guard Muhammad Taha was taken to hospital after confronting attacker Joel Cauchi during his stabbing rampage on Saturday, which killed six people.

While French construction worker Damien Guerot - who was also dubbed "bollard man" after footage emerged of him holding back the attacker - was offered a permanent visa for his heroics, Mr Taha had questioned whether a similar offer should be extended to him for his efforts.

"Similarly, as a direct victim of the incident, I believe I deserve recognition and consideration for citizenship," he told The Australian.

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Mr Taha is in Australia on a graduate visa, which is due to expire, the newspaper reported.

When asked about whether similar offer of citizenship or visa would be put to Mr Taha, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the move.

"These are people who were putting ... themselves in danger in order to protect Australians they didn't know, just people going about, doing their shopping," he told radio station 5AA on Thursday.

"That's the sort of courage that we want to say thank you to, frankly."

Mr Albanese on Thursday also confirmed a permanent visa would be issued to Mr Guerot.

"There was extraordinary stories of bravery amongst the carnage and tragedy that we saw on Saturday," he said.

"It's a bit of light in amongst the darkness that you saw these extraordinary acts."

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