Bondi shooting: Pakistani youth vehemently denies association; condemns ‘false propaganda’

WEB DESK: A Pakistani youth living in Sydney has publicly denied any connection to the recent shooting in Bondi after false claims and images linking him to the arrested suspect circulated across social and mainstream media fueling propaganda.

The individual, identified as Sheikh Naveed and originally from Lahore, said several Indian, Afghan and Israeli media outlets, along with social media accounts, wrongly associated him with the suspect arrested in the Bondi attack. He said some Indian news channels and social media users went further by airing his photographs while reporting on the arrested individual.

Following the spread of the misinformation, Naveed released a video message on social media in which he strongly condemned the Bondi attack and clarified that he had no involvement in the incident and had not been arrested.

He warned that the unverified use and broadcast of his photographs had put his life at serious risk. Criticising media organisations and social media users, he said irresponsible reporting and the spread of false information could endanger innocent people.

Akram said that after the suspect’s identity was falsely reported under his name, photos were taken from his Facebook account and circulated as those of the accused, a claim he categorically rejected.

Appealing to media outlets and social media users, the Naveed urged them to verify news and images before publication, stressing that a lack of due diligence can cause irreparable harm to innocent individuals.

Many people under Naveed’s Facebook post also supported him stressing that the misinformation was deplorable.