A Pakistani man says he fears for his safety after being wrongly identified online as the Bondi shooter, sparking threats, misinformation, and widespread concern over false accusations.
Mistaken Identity Leaves Pakistani Man Fearing for Safety After Bondi Shooting
A Sydney resident has been left fearing for his personal safety after becoming the victim of a serious case of mistaken identity linked to the Bondi Beach shooting. The man, a Pakistani businessman living in Windsor, Australia, said he has been left deeply shaken after his photograph was wrongly shared online and associated with the deadly attack.
According to the 30-year-old, social media users began circulating his image alongside false claims that he was involved in the shooting, solely because he shares the same name as one of the accused individuals. As unverified information spread rapidly online following Sunday’s attack, which claimed 15 lives, he found himself caught in a wave of misinformation, despite having no connection to the incident.
Distressed by the situation, the businessman posted a video online to publicly deny the allegations and protect his reputation. He said he first learned about the false claims through friends and described the experience as frightening and overwhelming. Seeing his image presented as that of a mass killer left him feeling traumatised, anxious, and afraid to move freely due to concerns for his safety.
Having lived in Australia since 2018, he appealed to both media organisations and social media platforms to exercise greater responsibility by verifying information before sharing it. He stressed that he was an innocent individual unfairly affected by false reporting and online speculation.
The situation worsened after several Indian media outlets repeated claims that the Bondi Beach shooter was Pakistani, relying on the shared name without confirming the facts. This reporting further amplified the misinformation and added to his distress.
Authorities later clarified the matter. On Tuesday, Indian police confirmed that the deceased gunman involved in the Bondi Beach incident was Sajid Akram, originally from Hyderabad in southern India, and identified him as the father of the second shooter.
Storm of misinformation
Naveed was far from the only individual caught in the web of false information following the Bondi Beach shooting. Social media quickly became a hotspot for rumors and misinformation after the tragic incident.
The courageous bystander who intervened and disarmed one of the shooters was identified as Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian Muslim and father of two. Despite this, misinformation rapidly spread on X, with some users wrongly claiming that the hero was a 47-year-old IT professional with a British-sounding name. Even X’s AI chatbot, Grok, repeated these inaccuracies, providing users with misleading responses.
Some posts correctly named Ahmed but incorrectly described his religion, falsely reporting him as a Maronite Christian. Meanwhile, information about the actual shooter circulated widely online even before authorities confirmed his identity. Social media users shared his driver’s licence and personal details, accompanied by numerous false claims. Some alleged he was a former Israeli Defence Force (IDF) member or a Mossad operative, suggesting the attack was a staged “false-flag” operation.
Other baseless claims included assertions that the shooter had studied at Islamabad University or had been sent by Iran to carry out the attack. In some instances, a Lebanese national of Palestinian descent was incorrectly implicated.
While the Bondi Beach shooting itself shocked the world with its tragic loss of life, the subsequent spread of misinformation online highlights the dangers of unchecked speculation. The rapid circulation of false narratives underscores how quickly online platforms can amplify rumors, causing harm and confusion, particularly when fact-checking is neglected in the rush to find answers.
