A 30-year-old Pakistani-origin man by the name of Naveed Akram became the talk of the Internet after the recent Bondi Beach shooting in Australia. He primarily became the subject of a mistaken identity, especially since father-son duo Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, were identified as the suspected gunmen responsible for multiple deaths surpassing the 20-mark.
Neither Naveed Akram share any connection except for their identical names. However, social media became abuzz with pictures of the 30-year-old man, who had no connection with the Sydney attack, as many held accountable for a crime he never committed. The Naveed Akram totally unrelated to the Australia shooting has since broken his silence on the matter.
Not-Bondi Beach shooting suspect Naveed Akram speaks out
According to the Independent, the 30-year-old Naveed Akram runs a business in Sydney. Ever since the suspected gunmen’s names became public, people mistakenly shared his pictures around, suggesting that he was the shooter in question. Photos showing him in a Pakistani cricket jersey and holding the South Asian country’s flag in a stadium were shared across social media platforms.
Having released a video message since then, the Naveed Akram who had nothing to do with the attack declared his innocence online. “This issue is very serious. I am very stressed and very scared about this. I cannot even go outside safely,” the 30-year-old said, as per Independent.
He firmly urged people to stop spreading misinformation about him, noting how “it can turn very dangerous against me.” Akram highlighted that he had first been traumatised by the news of the shooting attack, and then by how the Internet chose to villify him for the harrowing tragedy he had nothing to do with.
Speaking to the Guardian, he called the whole ordeal “extremely disturbing.” He further shared that once he found out that his photo was being shared online, calling him the shooter, he immediately came home, knowing how “dangerous” it could become for him.
In his effort to “get the message out” that the person in question wasn’t him, 30-year-old Akram reported the issue of fake social media post to police. Authorities, in turn, reportedly told him to just disable his accounts to stay out of public focus. Ultimately, taking matters into his own hands, he decided to debunk the disinformation through a video message.
“Lots of these fake posts are still up on social media,” he went on, as per the Independent. “I’m still scared to go outside even to do the shopping. My life could still be at risk because of this. My only priority right now is clear my name and protect me and my wife.”
However, the Pakistani-origin man wasn’t the only one targeted by such detrimental falsehoods. Other male individuals had become victims of a similar situation in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting.
Who are the Bondi Beach shooters?
The real shooters, on the other hand, carried out an ISIS-inspired attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. 50-year-old Sajid Akram, whom the Philippine authorities identified as an Indian national, was shot dead by police at the scene of the attack on Sunday.
The second suspect, Akram’s 24-year-old son, was also shot by police, but ultimately received treatment in a Sydney hospital. On Wednesday, Australian officials charged the Australian national with 59 offences, including terrorism and 15 counts of murder.