A Sydney man named Naveed Akram says he now fears for his safety after being wrongly identified online as one of the Bondi Beach shooters, as misinformation surged in the hours after the deadly attack.
The shooting unfolded during a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach on Sunday, 14 December 2025, when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd before police confronted them.
In the rush for answers, social media speculation outpaced verified information and pulled an innocent man into the fallout, leaving him dealing with abuse, threats and mounting anxiety.
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Different Naveed Akram Misidentified As Shooter
The Bondi Beach shooting occurred during a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Australia's most famous beach. A father and son opened fire on the crowd, killing 15 people, including a child, and wounding 42 others. Authorities later described the incident as an act of terrorism, though names were initially withheld.
Confusion escalated after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation cited an anonymous official naming one alleged attacker as Naveed Akram. That report sparked speculation online, with users searching for others with the same name. Shortly after, images began circulating across social platforms.
One widely shared image showed a smiling man wearing a green Pakistan cricket jersey. It was later confirmed that the photo belonged to a different Naveed Akram, taken from his Facebook account in 2019. Despite this, the image was shared thousands of times alongside hateful and threatening comments.
Akram Afraid For His Life
The misidentified Akram is a 30-year-old Sydney resident living in the city's northwestern suburbs. He said he first realised he had been falsely named around 9.30 pm on Sunday. By then, abusive messages and death threats had already begun to arrive.
'I could not even sleep last night,' said the Sydney man.
He described feeling unsafe leaving his home and called the situation 'life-threatening.' Akram said the fear was constant and deeply unsettling.
The misinformation also affected his family overseas. Relatives in Pakistan's Punjab province began receiving alarming phone calls linked to the false reports.
'It was destroying my image, my family's image,' Akram said, adding that his relatives contacted local police out of concern.
Man Asks For Help To Report Posts Misusing His Photo
On Monday, 15 December 2025, Akram released a public video appeal through the Pakistan Consulate of Sydney. In the message, he made clear he had no connection to the Bondi Beach shooting. 'That is not me. I have nothing to do with the incident,' he said.
Akram also condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the victims. He then asked social media users to help prevent further harm. 'I just want everyone's help to stop this propaganda,' he said.
He urged people to report posts that continued to misuse his photo without permission. The image, taken years earlier, had become central to the misinformation surrounding the Bondi Beach shooter.
Who Is The Real Shooter?
Authorities later identified the attackers as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram. Police said Sajid Akram was killed in a shootout at the scene, while his son was taken to the hospital. The younger Akram remains in critical but stable condition under police guard.
The victims of the Bondi Beach shooting ranged widely in age. The youngest was a 10-year-old girl, while the oldest was 87, police said. Two injured police officers were also among the 42 people hospitalised.
Australia's security intelligence agency confirmed it had previously investigated the younger Akram in 2019. ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said he was 'known to us but not in an immediate threat perspective.'
Investigations into the Bondi Beach shooting remain ongoing as authorities piece together the events that led to the attack.
The misidentification case is not a side plot. It is part of the damage profile of modern terror events, where misinformation can create secondary victims in real time.
