Misinformation About Bondi Shooting Spreads Online, Including Fake Locations and AI-Generated Content

In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, a wave of misinformation has engulfed social media platforms and AI systems, creating a parallel crisis of false narratives competing with factual reporting about the tragedy.

The spread of incorrect information reached such proportions that hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman felt compelled to issue corrections on X. Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially misidentified the hero who disarmed the attacker, incorrectly stating it was a Jewish bystander who wrestled away the gun, according to The Times of Israel.

“Somebody invented a white guy, an ‘IT professional’ named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites,” wrote journalist Ben Collins on Bluesky. “The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed al Ahmed.”

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok demonstrated particularly troubling failures in its response to the crisis. When users showed Grok video footage of Ahmed tackling the shooter, the system bizarrely claimed the footage was “an old viral video of a man climbing a palm tree.” In another instance, Grok misidentified a photo of the injured Ahmed as an Israeli hostage taken by Hamas.

The misinformation crisis extended far beyond one AI system. An AI-generated image circulated widely showing a man having makeup and fake blood applied at the scene. This fabricated image was falsely claimed to be human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, who had given legitimate interviews to media with blood on his face.

Gender-based misinformation also flourished. A cropped photo of two female police officers at the scene went viral after being posted by a “Barron Trump” fan account based in Eastern Europe. The post falsely claimed the officers had “completely froze” while “gunmen reportedly fired for up to 20 minutes without interruption.” The post accumulated more than 100,000 views and sparked a wave of misogynistic commentary attacking female officers and diversity hiring policies. The uncropped image actually showed the officers directing civilians to safety after the attackers had been neutralized.

The misidentification of suspects has had real-world consequences for innocent individuals. Naveed Akram, a 30-year-old Pakistani man living in New South Wales, told The Guardian that his life had become a “nightmare” after his photo was widely circulated with false claims identifying him as one of the shooters. The misinformation spread rapidly after being promoted by India-based accounts and was even picked up by CBS News before corrections were made.

Panic spread further through false claims of coordinated attacks at Dover Heights and Double Bay, forcing NSW Police to issue a statement clarifying: “There have been NO reports of any incidents at Dover Heights – please do NOT share unconfirmed rumours.”

In a particularly malicious example of technological manipulation, someone created a fake Google Maps listing that labeled the Bonnyrigg home address of one of the alleged shooters as “Bondi beach shooters place” and categorized it as a “local mosque.” Creating such a listing requires technical sophistication, involving a website with specific code to trigger Google’s business listing feature.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has reported receiving multiple complaints about online material showing footage of the mass shooting, which authorities have declared a terrorist incident. The regulator has reminded platforms that sensitive content labels and blurring filters should be implemented to prevent incidental exposure to such material.

“eSafety will continue to work with platforms and services to ensure they meet their obligations under Australian law,” the regulator stated. “Further actions may be considered.”

When contacted for comment about Grok’s performance during the crisis, xAI responded only with an automated reply: “Legacy Media Lies.”

Media experts are urging the public to exercise caution before sharing unverified information. “Think twice before you repost things that you see or read, especially if they contain specific factual information or messages strongly biased towards triggering an emotional response,” one expert advised. “The most reliable information tends to come out as the event is unfolding. From there, it is often swamped by misinformation — this is the danger zone we find ourselves in right now.”