Fact check: Indian social media falsely linked Pakistani national Naveed Akram to the Sydney Bondi Beach shooting. The attacker in the images is an Afghan national. Read full details.
Following the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach during a Jewish festival, which left 12 people dead, multiple Indian social media accounts and outlets falsely linked the attack to a Pakistani national named Naveed Akram.
Fact-checks reveal that the individual in the attack images is an Afghan national, and Pakistani national Naveed Akram has no connection to the incident.
Sheikh Naveed Clarifies Misuse of His Photo
-
Sheikh Naveed in question—an electrical engineer from South Windsor, wrote on Facebook that his image was being misused in connection with the attack.
-
“This is putting me at risk, damaging my reputation, identity, and well-being,” he said.
-
He urged social media users to stop sharing the image and report accounts spreading false information.
-
Australian authorities have not named or identified anyone called Naveed Akram in any official report or investigation.
Attacker Identified as Afghan National
-
The Afghan individual linked to the attack is reported to hail from the “Little Kabul” area of Sydney and originally comes from Nangarhar, Afghanistan.
- Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover, approximately 25,000 Afghan immigrants arrived in Australia, with 13,000–14,000 settling in greater Sydney and surrounding suburbs.
Heroic Citizen Disarms Attacker During Shooting
-
During the attack, an ordinary citizen confronted the armed individual and disarmed him.
-
A viral video shows a man in a white shirt running toward the shooter, tackling him from behind, taking the weapon, and returning it—likely saving multiple lives.
-
The identity of this heroic citizen has not yet been confirmed.
Spread of Disinformation Online
-
The circulation of Naveed Akram’s image online is entirely disinformation propagated by Indian social media accounts.
-
This incident highlights the need for social media users to verify facts before sharing unverified content.