Man falsely linked to Bondi Beach shooting debunks Indian, Afghan propaganda against Pakistan

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed that Naveed Akram is an Australian citizen, stating that he was born in 2001.

Following the Sydney shooting, Indian and Afghan media outlets along with several social media accounts have been accused of running a coordinated propaganda campaign, falsely attempting to link the attackers to Pakistan by sharing fake images and unverified claims.

These allegations were based on fabricated videos and misleading information and have not been corroborated by any credible international source.

According to Australian police, at least 15 people were killed and 42 others injured when Sajid Akram and his son Naveed opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that Sajid Akram arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, which was later converted into a partner visa in 2001, and that he subsequently held a resident return visa. He further clarified that Sajid’s son, Naveed Akram, is an Australian citizen born in 2001.

As misinformation continued to circulate, Sheikh Naveed, who is currently living in Sydney, issued a video statement after his photographs were incorrectly associated with the attack on social media. He firmly denied any involvement in the incident.

In the video posted on X , Naveed said he has been living in Sydney since 2018, completed his higher education in Australia, and currently runs a rental business. He condemned the Bondi Beach shooting and expressed sympathy for the victims’ families.

He said that some social media accounts had falsely linked him to the attack solely because one of the suspects shared a similar name. “They took my picture from Facebook and claimed I was one of the attackers. I want to make it clear that I am a different person and have no connection to this incident,” he said.

Naveed urged the public not to fall for propaganda being spread by Indian accounts on social media and appealed for such posts to be reported to prevent further circulation.

The 30-year-old, who lives in a northwestern suburb of Sydney, told AFP he first heard around 9:30pm on Sunday that he had been falsely identified as the shooter.

“I could not even sleep last night,” Akram told AFP by phone, adding he deleted all the “terrible” messages he got.

“I’m terrified. I could not go outside, like it’s a life-threatening issue, so I don’t want to risk anything… my family is worried as well, so it’s quite a hard time for me.”

He asked the Pakistan consulate to put out the video because relatives in the country’s Punjab province were getting phone calls as well.

“It was destroying my image, my family’s image,” he said.

“People started to call them. They were worried, and they have told the police over there.”

“I love this country. I have never had any safety issues here, like everyone is so nice, the people are so nice here,” Akram said.