The deadly Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney has exposed false and unverified claims circulated by sections of Indian media and social media users that attempted to link the attackers to Pakistan. These allegations quickly unraveled as verified information emerged from Australian authorities and international media outlets.
Soon after the attack, several Indian television channels and online accounts began blaming Pakistan without evidence, launching what appeared to be a coordinated narrative that contradicted confirmed facts. The claims spread rapidly across social media platforms, particularly X, before official details about the suspects became public.
Verified Identities of the Suspects
Indian newspaper The Hindu reported on Tuesday that the gunman shot dead by police during Sunday’s attack was Sajid Akram, 50, originally from Hyderabad in India’s southern state of Telangana. According to the report, Sajid moved to Australia in 1998 and had lived there for decades.
Australian media later identified the second suspect as Sajid’s 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram. Police shot Naveed during the attack, and he later emerged from a coma. Authorities confirmed that Naveed was born in Australia in 2001 and holds Australian citizenship by birth.
These details directly contradicted early claims suggesting any Pakistani connection to the suspects.
Unsubstantiated Claims Circulated Online
Despite the absence of verified information, prominent Indian television anchor Arnab Goswami and several social media users claimed immediately after the attack that the suspects were linked to Pakistan. Multiple posts on X alleged, without evidence, that Naveed Akram was of Pakistani origin and had studied in Islamabad.
Some posts went further, falsely claiming that the attackers had trained in a “terrorist camp” in Kotli and had travelled to Pakistan multiple times. None of these allegations were supported by Australian police, intelligence agencies or credible international reporting.
As verified information surfaced, these claims collapsed, exposing the spread of misinformation in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.
Police Action and Terror Charges
Meanwhile, Australian police said on Wednesday that they had charged Naveed Akram with 59 criminal offences, including a terrorism-related charge. Authorities said he remains under heavy police guard in a Sydney hospital.
Police continue to investigate the attack, which targeted a Jewish Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach and has been described as Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades.
Officials and analysts have warned that the spread of unverified accusations following such incidents risks inflaming regional tensions and diverting attention from verified facts and accountability.
