A photo of a man sporting a Pakistan cricket jersey, is going viral on social media misidentifying him as one of the two gunman who perpetrated a terror attack killing 15 people near Bondi beach in Sydney, Australia over the weekend.
BOOM found that the man seen in a Pakistan jersey in the viral image has no connection to the terror attack. We also reached out to New South Wales (NSW) Police, who said that only two gunmen were involved in the attack, but declined to provide any additional information about the background of the shooters.
Two gunmen identified as Sajid Akram (50) and Naveed Akram (24) according to ABC News Australia, opened fire at a Jewish celebration at Bondi on December 14, 2025, killing at least 15 people. The accused Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed sustained critical injuries and was taken to hospital. NSW Police have not yet provided any information regarding the ethnicity of the attackers or their motives.
The Claim: Photo shows shooter Naveed Akram in a Pakistani cricket jersey
A set of two photos, one of Naveed Akram at the scene of the shooting, and another photo of a man in a Pakistani cricket jersey is being shared on social media with the caption, "Additional pics of the attacker. Naveed Akram from Lahore Pakistan. Living in New South Wales - Australia #bondibeach #NaveedAkram"
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The photo of the man in a Pakistani cricket jersey was also shared by several other Right-wing X handle including @HPhobiaWatch and @RealBababanaras.
What We Found:
1) Man in Pakistani cricket jersey photo misidentified
BOOM found that the photo of the man wearing a Pakistani cricket jersey does not show either of the accused gunmen involved in the Bondi beach attack.
We found that the viral photo has been picked up from the Facebook profile of a Pakistani man named Sheikh Naveed Akram, who is currently residing in Sydney, Australia.
Akram posted a denial on his Facebook account stating, "This photo being circulated is NOT the person involved in the Bondi incident. That is me, and I am completely innocent and have no connection whatsoever to what happened. Someone is falsely using my picture, which is putting my safety, reputation, and well-being at risk"
Akram had also posted a video denying any involvement in the attack and stating his photo in the Pakistani cricket jersey is being misused.
The original photo was posted by Akram on Facebook on November 4, 2019.
BOOM reached out to Akram for a response, the article will be updated on receiving one.
2) NSW Police confirmation on the accused gunmen
BOOM reached out to New South Wales Police regarding the identities of those involved and their country of origin. In response, NSW Police reiterated that only two gunmen were involved in the attack and declined to confirm further details.
"We are not confirming the identities of anyone involved in the incident. NSW Police Commissioner has already confirmed only two gunmen were involved. We are not confirming any further details at this stage," a spokesperson for the police said.
Earlier, NSW Police said in a press statement that the two accused gunmen were a 24-year-old man who remains hospitalised and his 50-year-old father, who was shot dead at the scene.
