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The claim

A video circulating on X (formerly Twitter) shows a man claiming his photo was falsely linked to the Bondi Beach attack. The clip was shared on an X account which gained over 2 million views (archived) and was widely reposted.

Rating

DW Fact check: True The photo of this man is being misused and wrongly spread to show the alleged shooter at Bondi Beach. Social media users shared a photo of a man in a green cricket jersey, claiming he was one of the shooters. A reverse image search reveals the photo originates from the Facebook account of a man with the same name as one of the attackers. He posted: "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." On his Facebook account, he had shared the photo showing him in the green cricket jersey. It dates back to 2019. In a viral X video he confirms that he has the same first and last name as one of the alleged attackers, but that there is no connection between him and the terror attack. A police report confirms the alleged shooters in Bondi Beach were father and son. The 24-year-old shooter suffered critical injuries and was taken to a hospital. It is therefore impossible for the man speaking in the video to be the alleged attacker. DW Fact check additionally compared photos of the alleged attacker published by international media outlets, like here and here, with the video and photo of his namesake. There are significant differences in the appearance of both men. There is no link between the man in the X video and the alleged shooter. His Facebook photo indeed has been put into the wrong context.

Reviewed by Deutsche Welle ↗ ·

Original fact check ↗

Sources and attribution

  1. [S1] Deutsche Welle original review

    Original review · Retrieved October 16, 2026