Fact Check: Bondi Beach attack - Pakistani X accounts peddle AI-manipulated videos of Australian and Indian politicians, journalists
Videos of NSW Premier Chris Minns, journalists Palki Sharma and Shiv Aroor, and politician Asaduddin Owaisi claim that Bondi Beach attackers were Indian nationals.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:Videos show NSW Premier Chris Minns, journalists Palki Sharma and Shiv Aroor, and politician Asaduddin Owaisi stating that the Bondi Beach attackers were Indians.
Fact:The claim is false. All three videos have been manipulated by merging AI-generated audio.
Hyderabad: A father-son duo opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach’s Archer Park, Australia, on December 14, killing 16 people, including a child and injuring 42 others.
An unarmed bystander heroically disarmed one gunman as Australian authorities declared the mass shooting a terrorist incident and an antisemitic attack.
Meanwhile, multiple X accounts are circulating videos featuring New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, Firstpost anchor Palki Sharma in a purported interview with AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, and NDTV journalist Shiv Aroor—all being used to claim that the Bondi Beach attackers were Indian nationals.
Here’s an analysis of each video to determine its authenticity.
Video 1
The first video is about Chris Minns speaking about how EAM Jaishankar reached out to him after the attackers were identified as Indians.
An X user shared the purported video of Chris Minns with the caption, “Australia’s NSW Premier confirms India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has pledged full cooperation after the Bondi Beach attackers were identified as Indian nationals.” (Archive)
In the video, Minns could be seen addressing the media and allegedly saying, “In a critical development following the Sydney Bondi attack, India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has spoken with Australian Foreign Minister Wong. Minister Jaishankar expressed India’s deep condolences. After it was established that the attackers were Indian nationals, he directly conveyed India’s full support and cooperation in the ongoing inquiry. He assured that Indian authorities are committed to assisting in every way to help the Australian investigator uncover the cause and any possible network behind this tragedy.”
An X user, Aqib Shah, who is based in France and connected with the Pakistan App store, shared the video, claiming the same. (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video has been manipulated using AI.
Did Australian media report NSW Premier Minns stating attackers were Indians?
Using Google reverse image search, we found the original statement by Premier Minns, published by ABC News (Australia) on its website and YouTube channel on December 14. We could also see the company’s logo at the bottom of the video.
The video report on the website was titled, ‘VIDEO: Chris Minns calls the Bondi shooting a ‘horrifying’ and ‘evil’ terror attack.’ The YouTube video was titled ‘Bondi Beach shooting declared a terrorist incident.’
In the video, Premier Minns confirms that the Bondi Beach attack was deliberately designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah. He stated that at least 12 people were killed in the shooting near the Jewish gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, with one shooter killed and another in custody.
However, neither video contains any mention of Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaking with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, nor any statement establishing that the attackers were Indian nationals.
This hinted that the source video had been tampered with.
Is the video manipulated using AI?
We extracted the audio from the video and subjected it to analysis on the detection tool Deepfake-O-Meter; three of its detectors flagged that the video is likely AI-generated, with the confidence scores of 92.9, 100 and 78.2 per cent, respectively.
This confirms that the video has been manipulated by merging AI-generated audio.
Video 2
The second video is about Palki Sharma interviewing AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi, who tells her that the two attackers are from Uttar Pradesh and he has known them for two decades.
Sharing the alleged Firstpost video of Palki Sharma and AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi, a South Asia-based X user (account blocked but accessible by a VPN) wrote, “Asaduddin Owaisi in an explosive interview with Palki Sharma exposes the identity of #BondiBeach attackers as Indian from Uttar Pradesh, whose identity has been known to him for 2 decades. The reality is finally coming out. India is spreading terrorism globally.” (Archive)
Here’s the audio transcription of the video:
Palki Sharma: The Bondi Beach case in Australia has now taken a turn that connects two continents. Australian authorities say the attackers have been apprehended. They are being identified as an Indian migrant father-son duo. These details are still under investigation. We have an exclusive statement from Asaduddin Owaisi, speaking to Firstpost on this case and on the wider questions it raises about accountability, community targeting and due process. This is his first response as the story unfolds.
Asaduddin Owaisi: Navid Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, were residents of Uttar Pradesh. I had a very close acquaintance (with them). Sajid was an honourable man. But the son was mentally ill. They had left the country many years ago. I do not believe that Sajid would commit such an act. But his son had a problem.
A Pakistan-based X account shared the video, claiming the same.
Fact Check
The claim is false. NewsMeter found that the video has been manipulated using AI.
Did Owaisi speak to Firstpost about the Bondi Beach attack?
We conducted a web search and checked Firstpost’s YouTube channel, but did not find Owaisi speaking to the media outlet on the attack in Australia.
Video was used earlier to report fake news about Sonam Wangchuk
On November 28, Sharma’s same video was fact-checked by NewsMeter.
The video, manipulated using AI, was shared, claiming that she reported Sonam Wangchuk, the well-known Ladakh activist arrested after violent Leh protests, had reportedly died while in detention at Jodhpur Central Jail, which was a false claim.
The original video report was titled ‘LIVE: China Denies Harassing Indian Traveller From Arunachal Pradesh | Vantage With Palki Sharma’ and published on November 25.
It shows Sharma discussing China’s alleged harassment of an Indian traveller who claimed she was held in Shanghai because she was born in Arunachal Pradesh.
She also examined an unexpected phone call between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump concerning Taiwan and Japan, as well as the continued deterioration of India-Canada relations following a recent Khalistan referendum held in Ottawa.
What about the source of Owaisi’s clip?
A reverse image search of the clip’s keyframes led us to over a 30-minute interview of Owaisi published by ANI on October 11.
During the interview, AIMIM Chief addressed a host of issues, including India re-establishing ties with Afghanistan, alleged snub by the Mahagathbandhan, criticism of the ‘rushed SIR’ process, a strong condemnation of the Yogi government’s bulldozer action, and made explosive remarks on the ‘I Love Muhammad’ row.
Therefore, it is clear that the two unrelated videos from different media outlets have been merged using audio manipulation.
The original videos also predate the Bondi Beach attack.
What did the Deepfake-O-Meter analysis find?
We subjected Sharma’s and Owaisi’s audio jointly to the detection tool. Three of its detectors concluded that the audio is likely AI-generated, with the confidence scores of 53.6, 100 and 95 per cent, respectively.
This confirms that the video of the alleged interview did not happen, and both their voices were manipulated using AI.
Video 3
The third video is about Shiv Aroor interviewing a person who claimed to be the neighbour of the attackers.
Sharing the NDTV video of Shiv Aroor, a Pakistan-based X handle (account blocked but accessible by a VPN) wrote, “Today’s biggest news on India’s major news channel NDTV: A neighbor of Naveed Akram and Sajid Akram, who live in Uttar Pradesh, told Indian journalist Shiv Aroor in an interview that he knows these two father and son, and they have bowed the head of entire India in shame by carrying out a terrorist act.” (Archive)
Following is a transcription of the video’s audio:
Shiv Aroor: We are tracking a dramatic and highly sensitive development tonight. In a major update to the Bondi Beach investigation in Australia, NDTV is now reporting what it says is exclusive visual material linked to the suspects named by investigators. This attack, which authorities say left multiple people dead, has already shaken Australia. What is now emerging adds an international dimension. According to information being cited by Australian investigators and accessed by NDTV sources, the attackers who were apprehended are being identified as an Indian migrant family, a father and son duo. The names being circulated are Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram. Officials stress these identities are part of an ongoing probe and subject to verification. NDTV has taken the lead. NDTV has received exclusive live images from Uttar Pradesh, visuals that are being described as the residential locations linked to Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram. These images are the first of their kind. No other broadcaster globally has had them so far. NDTV is the first to report this development. Let us take you to Uttar Pradesh for live reporting of the events that have happened so far.
Alleged neighbour: Sajid’s son, Naveed Akram, who has been our neighbour. What he did yesterday, when we saw and read in yesterday’s news that he did this firing in Australia, is not good at all. My father knew his father very well. Yesterday, when he read that news, when he understood and saw it, he went into shock. What is this? Such terrorists should be killed. They are traitors to the nation. Because of them, our India will have to bow its head in shame before the entire world. Now they have brought us disgrace. This is a very wrong, wrong act. Now what should I even say about them?
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video has been manipulated using AI.
Did Shiv Aroor interview Bondi Beach attackers' neighbour?
We checked for the anchor report on NDTV’s YouTube channel and website, but did not find the existence of this video on any platform of the channel.
This hinted that an existing video of Shiv Aroor was manipulated to create the viral clip.
Source of the video used for manipulation
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframe led us to over a 30-minute report of Aroor published on NDTV’s X handle on July 10. The video is titled, ‘Farewell To Two Brave IAF Pilots: Young Lives Lost, Questions Unanswered’.
The video shows the journalist reporting the death of two Indian Air Force fighter pilots, Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu (31) and Flight Lieutenant Raj Singh (23).
The video also predates the Bondi Beach attack, which confirms that it has been manipulated.
Was this video also manipulated using AI?
Three detectors of the Deepfake-O-Meter found that the video’s audio (both speakers) is likely AI-generated, with the confidence scores of 98.4, 91.6, and 99.8 per cent, respectively.
Therefore, we conclude that all three videos have been manipulated by merging AI-generated audio.
What is the nationality of the attackers?
Australian Prime Minister, when asked by the media during a press conference about the origin country of the attackers, whether they are Indian or Pakistani, and how long they were in the Philippines, responded that he cannot reveal the details as it would undermine the investigation.
What is the latest development about the Bondi Beach attack?
While we found no official statement from the Australian government regarding the attackers’ nationality, we found reports by Reuters and CNN dated December 16, confirming that the father-son suspects, Sajid and Naveed Akram, accused of carrying out the Hanukkah massacre, were motivated by Islamic State ideology.
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirmed that they travelled to the Philippines on November 1 aboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR212 from Sydney to Manila, with an onward connection to Davao.
A spokesperson for the bureau stated that Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian national and Australian resident, travelled on an Indian passport, while his son Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian national, used an Australian passport. Both arrived together on that flight.
Is there an Indian connection to the attackers?
Indian media outlet The Hindu reported on December 16 that Sajid Akram is from Hyderabad. He last came to India in 2022.
This was confirmed to the newspaper by Indian government officials who ran a background check on the deceased. The officials also told the newspaper that Akram migrated to Australia on a student visa in 1998 and came to India only on two to three occasions. Akram’s son, Naveed, the other attacker who was shot by the police, was born in Australia in 2001 and is an Australian citizen.
The report also added that Australian authorities are ‘in touch’ with Indian officials about the investigation.
Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the three videos claiming to prove that the Bondi Beach attackers are Indians are false. The videos have been manipulated by using AI-generated audio.
