The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) uncovered and dismantled a coordinated propaganda campaign that falsely tried to link Pakistan with the deadly Sydney Bondi Beach shooting. The report clearly contradicted early claims made by Indian and Israeli media outlets.
According to official confirmations, the attackers travelled using Indian and Australian passports. Immigration and intelligence records showed that neither of the suspects held Pakistani nationality, directly challenging the initial accusations circulated online.
The controversy began when Indian and Israeli media hurriedly labelled the attackers as Pakistani. These claims quickly collapsed after confirmations from the Philippine government and Australian authorities, who stated that one attacker carried an Indian passport while the other was an Australian citizen.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration confirmed that the two attackers, Sajid Akram, aged 50, and his son Naveed Akram, aged 24, entered the Philippines on November 1 and left on November 28, shortly before the Bondi Beach attack. BBC reporting from Manila verified that Sajid Akram travelled on an Indian passport, while Naveed Akram used an Australian passport.
BBC journalists cited Philippine immigration officials and Australian police, stating that the attackers had declared Davao City in southern Philippines as their destination before returning to Sydney. These verified details completely overturned the false narrative pushed earlier.
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Further confirmation came after Australia’s Home Minister stated that Naveed Akram was an Australian citizen. Independent checks also revealed that Sajid Akram was of Indian origin, while Naveed’s mother was Italian, adding more clarity to the attackers’ background.
Australian and Philippine authorities are now jointly investigating the suspects’ travel history. Australian police are examining whether their visit to the Philippines had any link to extremist activities after reports of Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices being found in a vehicle used by the attackers.
Officials stated that while the attack appeared inspired by Islamic State ideology, there was no immediate proof that the attackers received militant training during their stay in the Philippines.
The Bondi Beach attack killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl, a British-born rabbi, a retired police officer, and a Holocaust survivor. At least 24 others remain hospitalised with serious injuries.
Following the tragedy, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged stricter gun laws and stronger counterterrorism steps. He also praised a civilian who disarmed one of the attackers, calling him a “true Australian hero”.
BBC’s findings, backed by official records from two governments, fully exposed the misinformation campaign aimed at maligning Pakistan. With verified facts now on record, claims linking Pakistan to the Bondi Beach attack stand completely discredited.
The BBC report brought clarity at a critical time. Verified documents changed the entire narrative. False claims collapsed once official records surfaced. The case shows how quickly misinformation can spread, and how facts can stop it.
