- Facts debunk coordinated Indian misinformation campaign.
- Sajid Akram moved to Australia from India in 1998: reports.
- Naveed Akram confirmed as Australian citizen by birth.
The Bondi Beach shooting has exposed false claims circulated by sections of Indian media and social media accounts that sought to link the attackers to Pakistan, allegations that later collapsed as verified facts emerged from international media outlets.
Soon after the incident, several Indian media outlets and social media users began blaming Pakistan without verification, launching a coordinated campaign that ran contrary to confirmed information.
Indian newspaper The Hindu reported on Tuesday that the alleged 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, Akram moved to Australia in 1998.
Australian media identified the second suspect as Akram’s 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who was shot by police during the incident and later emerged from a coma. Reports confirmed that Naveed is an Australian citizen by birth.
Soon after the incident occurred, Indian television anchor Arnab Goswami and several social media users claimed immediately after the attack that the suspects were linked to Pakistan.
Posts on X alleged, without evidence, that Naveed Akram was of Pakistani origin and had studied in Islamabad.
One post claimed: “This is the terrorist camp in Kotli… where Bondi Beach attackers were trained,” while another alleged the suspects had travelled to Pakistan multiple times.
Meanwhile, Police in Australia said on Wednesday they had charged a man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach with 59 offences, including a terror charge.
