AI-Generated Images and Misinformation Spread After Bondi Beach Attack

Falsehoods and conspiracy theories are proliferating online in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack, with AI-generated images being weaponized to distort the narrative surrounding the tragic event.

ABC NEWS Verify has identified three instances where artificial intelligence-created images—and in one case, a real image taken out of context—are being used to spread misinformation across social media platforms.

One particularly concerning example involves an AI-generated image purporting to show alleged gunman Naveed Akram sitting at an outdoor café in the Philippines with the defense attaché of India to the Philippines, Captain Chandra Kant Kothari. Posts on X (formerly Twitter) have used this fabricated image to suggest collusion between the alleged attacker and Indian officials.

Analysis by ABC NEWS Verify confirmed the image was created using Google’s AI tools, as it returns a positive result for the company’s invisible watermark when tested in its Synth ID detector. Visual examination reveals multiple telltale signs of AI generation, including physical and logical inconsistencies such as garbled text on a chicken bucket, an indoor desk lamp inexplicably placed on an outdoor table, and a blurred background with cars impossibly rendered on top of each other.

The timing of this fake image appears calculated. Earlier this week, ABC News revealed that the alleged gunmen, Sajid and Naveed Akram, had traveled to the Philippines for “military-style training” in the month before the attack. Social media users have exploited this coincidence, falsely claiming the image proves contact between Indian authorities and the alleged attackers before the incident—when in fact, the depicted scene never occurred.

In another disturbing example of digital deception, false narratives about the gunman’s identity continue to circulate widely. “Leaked” screenshots of a fake Facebook profile for a “David Cohen”—featuring AI-manipulated photos of Naveed Akram wearing a Jewish yarmulke and attending a bar mitzvah—have garnered over two million views across various platforms.

Despite clear signs of inauthenticity, numerous social media users—many based outside Australia, according to platform transparency tools—have shared these fabricated screenshots as supposed evidence that the alleged gunman is Jewish. This falsehood feeds into antisemitic conspiracy theories that suggest an Israeli connection to the attack without any factual basis.

A pro-Palestine Instagram account initially identified as the source of some widely-shared versions has since acknowledged the deception, apologizing for sharing what they admitted was an “AI-generated” image.

The online misinformation campaign has also targeted female police officers who responded to the attack. Multiple social media accounts have posted misogynistic attacks directed at these officers, using misleading images to suggest they were hiding from the alleged gunmen rather than taking appropriate cover during the active shooter situation.

Verified video footage of the incident tells a very different story. One recording shows a female officer wearing a cap being directly engaged by the younger alleged gunman while attempting to protect two bystanders behind the cover of a car. This officer appears to be the first to approach the footbridge after Naveed Akram was injured and the attack ended.

Another female officer, filmed approximately 40 meters away during the attack, arrived shortly after. Both officers helped prevent confrontations between bystanders at the crime scene—despite having come under direct fire moments earlier. One secured the scene while the other removed one of the weapons used in the attack.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has condemned the misleading use of images to spread disinformation about the police response. “That type of misinformation, that type of taking situations out of context, is incredibly harmful,” he told radio station 2GB, while commending the actions of the female police officers.

The proliferation of AI-generated imagery presents a growing challenge for authorities and media organizations attempting to combat misinformation during crisis events, highlighting the increasingly sophisticated nature of digital deception in the aftermath of violent incidents.