Misinformation Floods Social Media Following Bondi Beach Attack

Almost immediately after the deadly attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday, a wave of false information began spreading online, ranging from misidentified perpetrators to conspiracy theories about “false flag” operations and “crisis actors.”

The tragic incident, which claimed multiple lives, saw brothers Naveed and Sajid Akram identified as the attackers. Sajid was killed during a police confrontation, while Naveed remains under guard in hospital, expected to face questioning and charges on Wednesday.

In the aftermath, a toxic mixture of fabricated quotes, manipulated screenshots, doctored photos, and deceptive videos circulated widely across social media platforms, with much of the content deliberately stoking racial and religious divisions.

The spread of false information took two distinct forms. Misinformation – incorrect content shared without malicious intent by those who believe it to be accurate – circulated alongside disinformation, which involves deliberately fabricated content designed to deceive the public or influence opinion.

These falsehoods propagated rapidly through websites and social media channels, often utilizing artificial intelligence to create convincing but entirely fabricated content. Even Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok contributed to the problem, making incorrect assertions about the attack that were only retracted after users challenged their accuracy.

Among the most prominent falsehoods was the misidentification of Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Syrian-born shop owner widely celebrated as a hero after he disarmed one of the attackers. Social media posts falsely claimed his real name was “Edward Crabtree,” citing an “exclusive interview” from a suspicious website called The Daily, which investigation revealed had been created the very day of the attack.

AI chatbot Grok compounded the confusion by incorrectly describing authentic footage from the attack as “an old viral video of a man climbing a palm tree” and suggesting the incident might have been staged. In another instance, it wrongly identified al-Ahmed as an Israeli hostage previously held by Hamas.

Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard documented how some social media users shared genuine images of survivors while falsely labeling them as “crisis actors” – a term frequently deployed by conspiracy theorists to suggest victims are merely performing to advance hidden agendas.

Australian Associated Press’s FactCheck service debunked numerous falsehoods, including an AI-generated image purporting to show attack victim Arsen Ostrovsky having fake blood applied before the incident. The manipulated image, which showed telltale signs of AI generation including distorted hands and merged background elements, was used to falsely claim the entire attack was a government-staged event.

Foreign-run Facebook pages, particularly those operating from Vietnam, spread fabricated quotes attributed to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, falsely claiming she had called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “weak, spineless coward” and that he had retaliated by calling her a “tiny piece of garbage.” No evidence exists for either statement.

Multiple posts also circulated misidentifying the alleged gunmen. One widely shared image falsely implicated an innocent man wearing a Pakistan cricket shirt alongside Naveed Akram. The wrongfully identified individual later posted on Facebook confirming his complete innocence.

Other posts fabricated the existence of a shooter named “Khaled al-Nablusi,” described as a “Muslim migrant” and “Lebanese national of Palestinian descent.” FactCheck determined these images had previously been used in false claims about a U.S. Army base shooting, and were manipulated photos of a writer with an artificially added beard.

Some conspiracy-minded users went further, falsely claiming Naveed Akram was actually an Israeli national named “David Cohen,” supporting this with a clearly fake Facebook profile. Others fabricated Google Trends data suggesting people in Israel and India had searched for Akram’s name before the attack, promoting “false flag” conspiracy theories that have been thoroughly debunked.

Media literacy experts recommend several strategies to identify false information. The eSafety Commissioner advises seeking information from established news outlets and government websites, evaluating whether content seems believable, and assessing if adequate evidence supports the claims made.

For images and videos, watch for visual inconsistencies like distorted hands, unreadable text, blurring, or unnatural movements. Reverse image searches can reveal if photos appear elsewhere with different descriptions or contexts.

As investigations into the Bondi Beach attack continue, authorities urge the public to rely on verified information from official sources and to approach unverified claims with appropriate skepticism.