Australian Sheikh Claims Bondi Beach Massacre Never Happened | WATCH

On December 14, 2025, a terrorist mass shooting occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a Hanukkah celebration attended by hundreds of people.

Two gunmen, identified as Pakistani-Australian father-son duo Naveed Akram and his son, opened fire, killing 15 people (including a child) and injuring several others before being killed by police. Australian authorities classified it as a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State group, with court documents revealing "meticulous preparation" by the perpetrators in a regional area.

A standout story from the chaos was Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian Muslim father of two, who heroically tackled and disarmed one gunman, sustaining injuries in the process. His family described his actions as a "matter of conscience," unable to bear watching people die.

In the aftermath, misinformation exploded online, including claims of "crisis actors," false flags, and AI-generated fakes.

For instance, an AI-manipulated image of survivor Arsen Ostrovsky (who was grazed by a bullet and had survived the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel) was circulated to allege he was a "crisis actor" with fake blood, showing distortions like mangled hands and inconsistent backgrounds.

Other falsehoods included misidentifying uninvolved people as attackers, fabricating quotes from politicians like Pauline Hanson, and even Elon Musk's Grok AI bot spreading debunked claims about footage.

Fact-checkers like AAP and NewsGuard debunked these, urging people to spot inconsistencies via reverse image searches and trustworthy sources.

Amid this, Sheikh Kamal Hamed, an Islamic preacher based in Western Sydney (in Labor MP Tony Burke's electorate), drew significant backlash for comments made in a sermon or video clip shared online.

In footage highlighted by Rebel News reporter Avi Yemini, Hamed claimed the attack was "scripted a while back" and "planned for a while," with "hand-picked" actors among the victims.

He specifically referenced Ostrovsky, saying he "painted his face with blood" and was present at both October 7 and Bondi as an actor, labeling him "bad luck" and suggesting his Jewish community should shun him to avoid his "presence." Hamed also argued Arabs cannot be antisemitic because "you are Semite," playing on linguistic semantics (though antisemitism specifically refers to prejudice against Jews, not all Semitic peoples).

Yemini condemned this as Jew-hatred, calling for defunding such extremists, stripping charitable status from their organizations, and a royal commission into antisemitism starting in Burke's area, which he described as a "terror hotbed."

These remarks fit into broader discussions of radical preachers in Western Sydney. For example, one X user compiled a list including Hamed alongside others like Wissam Haddad (known for apocalyptic anti-Jewish rhetoric) and Sheik Kamal Abu Mariam (who evaded prosecution for violent calls).

Muslim community leaders had previously warned police about a radical preacher linked to one Bondi shooter, and were informed of impending counterterrorism raids.

However, mainstream Muslim and Arabic communities overwhelmingly condemned the attack and distanced themselves from such views.Groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Council of Elders, and Australian Islamic organizations called it a "horrific" act of violence against civilians, rejecting any justification and emphasizing unity with the Jewish community.

They praised al-Ahmed as a hero, with exchanges like a Muslim man telling a rabbi, "We are in this together," highlighting interfaith solidarity.

Conversely, some Arab media branded al-Ahmed a "traitor" for saving Jewish lives, revealing fringe divisions.

Islamic State itself called the attack a "matter of pride" without claiming direct responsibility.