A Sydney man has said he is living in fear after his photograph was widely circulated on social media, falsely identifying him as the gunman behind the deadly Bondi Beach shooting. The attack, which took place during a Jewish festival on Sunday evening, left 15 people dead, including a child, and injured 42 others. Australian authorities have described the incident as an act of terrorism, though they have not officially named the suspects, one of whom was killed at the scene while the other remains hospitalised.
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Despite the lack of official confirmation, several media reports named an alleged assailant, leading to widespread sharing of a photograph belonging to another man with the same name. The image, showing a smiling individual wearing a Pakistan cricket jersey, went viral and attracted hateful and threatening comments. The man in the photograph, Naveed Akram, categorically denied any involvement and said the image was taken from his personal Facebook account dating back to 2019.
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In a video released through the Pakistan Consulate in Sydney, Akram appealed for an end to the misinformation, stating that the false claims had put his life at risk. He told AFP that he received death threats, could not sleep, and was too frightened to leave his home. The situation also caused distress to his family, both in Australia and in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
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Akram, who moved to Australia in 2018 for higher education and now runs a car rental business, said he loves Australia and had never felt unsafe before. He described the ordeal as deeply traumatic and urged social media users to act responsibly.
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