Misleading Claims Surge on Social Media After Bondi Beach Attack

After 16 people were killed in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney, targeting a Jewish community, according to NSW Police, several claims have been circulating on social media.

More than 1,000 people attended an event at the beach to commemorate the beginning of Hanukkah.

Two men stood on a pedestrian bridge and opened fire on families and crowds gathered below; 40 people were injured in Sydney’s east yesterday evening.

One shooter, a 50-year-old man, was shot by police during the incident and died at the scene.

The other gunman, a 24-year-old man, was transported to the hospital under police guard after suffering serious injuries.

False Claims of New Mass Shooting in Dover Heights Spread on Social Media

A claim has spread on social media that another mass shooting occurred in Dover Heights, a cliffside eastern suburb of Sydney, and that more Jews were targeted during their celebrations. The posts are urging Jewish people to stay home.

Misbar’s team investigated the viral claim and found that the photo is from a video of the Bondi Beach attack and not from a new mass shooting in Dover Heights.

Following the spread of the claim, the NSW Police Force stated that there have been no reports of any incidents in Dover Heights and that unconfirmed rumours should not be shared.

Who Disarmed the Bondi Beach Gunman? Claims Spread Online

During the Bondi Beach mass shooting, a bystander tackled and wrestled a gun from one of the two alleged gunmen.

After the incident, several social media posts shared misleading claims about the identity of this man. An account named “HamasAtrocities” said that the man is a Christian Maronite.

The account commented, “The hero that stopped one of the terrorists in Australia is called Ahmad Al Ahmad. The Anti-Israel mobs celebrated him being a Muslim, as if that made the terror attack less terrible.”

Other posts claim that the man's identity is Edward Crabtree, a 43-year-old father of two and a local fruit shop owner.

However, a bystander who was filmed tackling and disarming a gunman during Sunday’s terror attack in Sydney is Ahmed al Ahmed, a Muslim who arrived in Australia from Syria in 2006. The 44-year-old tobacco shop owner is a father of two daughters, ages five and six, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, an Australian media outlet.

“He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him,” Sam Issa, Ahmed’s migration lawyer, said to The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday night after visiting him.

According to Issa, Ahmed’s left arm was sprayed with roughly five bullet wounds.

Trump, the president of the United States, has also commended Ahmed’s bravery.

Bondi Beach Shooting: Viral Claims About Shooter’s Nationality

According to a senior law enforcement official who spoke with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Naveed Akram, a man from Sydney’s southwest, was one of the alleged shooters in the fatal Bondi Beach attacks.

There were viral posts on social media about the shooter’s identity and nationality. One post claimed that “Naveed Akram, the shooter, has been identified as Indian, not Pakistani.”

Another post alleged that the shooter was Afghan.

Police identified a father-and-son team as the alleged gunmen responsible for the Bondi Beach attack. They were suspected of using legally obtained firearms to carry out the massacre.

The 24-year-old Naveed Akram was taken to a Sydney hospital with serious injuries after being arrested at the scene. Police shot and killed his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, as initially reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sajid Akram, the father, arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, which was transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and later to resident return visas.

According to ABC, Naveed Akram, an Australian-born citizen, had been investigated for his close ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State (IS) terrorist cell.

The son was known to New South Wales police and security agencies, and his father had a firearms license and six weapons registered to him. Police said they had recovered all six firearms.

Bondi Beach Shooting Declared a Terror Incident

The shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach has been announced as a terrorist incident, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference on Sunday.

Ten people have been confirmed dead, including a man believed to be one of the shooters. The second alleged shooter is in critical condition, according to a New South Wales Police statement.

At this time, a further 11 people are reported to be injured, two of whom are police officers.

A nearby car that police claim was connected to the "deceased offender" had several improvised explosive devices removed from it.

The Council of Imams NSW (New South Wales) and the Australian National Imams Council "unequivocally condemn the horrific shootings in Bondi," along with the Australian Muslim community, according to a joint statement on X.

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