• Bondi attackers told family they were on a fishing trip
• Accolades pour in for ‘hero bystander’ who tackled gunman as he recovers in hospital
• Deadly incident reignites gun control debate in Canberra

SYDNEY: As authorities investigated the attackers who killed over a dozen people and injured scores of others in an attack on Bondi Beach, a Pakistani man was left fearing for his life after his photo was widely shared online, falsely identifying him as the gunman responsible for shooting.

Authorities have not named the two shooters — one of whom was killed at the scene and another now in hospital.

However, Australian public broadcaster ABC said the alleged assailant was Naveed Akram from the western Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg. Other outlets reported that police had raided his home.

The country’s worst mass shooting since 1996 saw the father and son open fire on an event coinciding with the start of Hanukkah, sending people fleeing in panic across the tourist hotspot.

Hours after the shooting, police found a homemade bomb in a car parked close to the beach, saying the “improvised explosive device” had likely been planted by the pair.

The two attackers had told their family they were on a fishing trip.

Naveed’s mother, Verena, told the Sydney Morning Herald as police swarmed the family home, that she had a conversation with her son on Sunday – the day of the attack.

She said: “He rings me up and said: ‘Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going... to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot’.”

Vitriolic comments

Photos of a beaming man in a green Pakistan cricket jersey pinged across social media. Some of the posts were shared thousands of times, drawing vitriolic comments.

But the photo was taken from the Facebook profile of a different Naveed Akram, who pleaded for people to stop the misinformation in a video published by the Pakistan consulate in Sydney.

“Per media reports, one of the shooters’ name is Naveed Akram and my name is Naveed Akram as well,” he said in the video.

“That is not me. I have nothing to do with the incident or that person,” he said, condemning the “terrible” Bondi Beach shooting.

“I just want everyone’s help to stop this propaganda,” he said, asking users to report accounts that misused his photo, which he had shared in a 2019 post.

The 30-year-old, who lives in a north-western suburb of Sydney, said 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 said, 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 his relatives in Punjab 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.”

Misinformation spread quickly online in the wake of the attacks, some of it targeting immigrants and the Muslim community.

Police said they responded to reports on Monday of several pig heads left at a Muslim cemetery in southwestern Sydney.

‘Best and worst of humanity’

Donations for the man who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers surged to almost $750,000, as he recovers in hospital after surgery for bullet wounds.

Forty-three-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian father-of-two, hid behind parked cars before charging at one of the two gunmen from behind, seizing his rifle and knocking him to the ground.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ahmed’s bravery saved lives.

“What we’ve seen in the last 24 hours was the worst of humanity in a terrorist act. But we also saw an example of the best of humanity in Ahmed Al Ahmed running towards danger, putting his own life at risk,” Albanese told ABC News.

“He was shot twice by the second perpetrator,” Albanese said. Ahmed’s family said he was hit in the hand and arm.

Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told ABC News in an interview that his son was an Australian citizen and sells fruits and vegetables.

“My son is a hero. He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people. When he saw people lying on the ground and the blood, quickly his conscience pushed him to attack one of the terrorists and take away his weapon,” Mohamed Fateh said.

Jozay Alkanji, Ahmed’s cousin, said he had undergone initial surgery and may need more.

Tributes poured in from leaders both abroad and at home.

US President Donald Trump called Ahmed “a very, very brave person” who saved many lives.

A GoFundMe campaign set up for Ahmed has raised about $750,000 within one day. Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman was the largest donor, contributing

Outside St George Hospital, strangers came to show their support. Yomna Touni, 43, stayed at the hospital for hours to offer assistance on behalf of a Muslim-run charity also raising funds for Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025