Sydney man charged with falsely claiming he was hurt in Bondi Hanukkah attack to seek compensation

As of 8:39 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

A 46-year-old man has been charged in Sydney over allegations that he falsely claimed to have been injured in the December 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack and then made fraudulent claims for compensation, New South Wales Police said.

Homicide Squad detectives arrested the man at Parramatta Police Station at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, local time, police said in a statement released Wednesday. He was charged with publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage and with making a false representation resulting in a police investigation. He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Nov. 18.

Police have not released the man's name. The allegations have not been tested in court.

How the case came to light

The Joint Counter Terrorism Team is leading the investigation into the Dec. 14, 2025, attack, while the Homicide Squad opened a separate critical incident investigation into the actions of police that day, according to the police statement. During those inquiries, detectives identified the man, who police allege "made a false statement that he was injured in the Bondi shooting and made subsequent fraudulent claims for compensation in the aftermath."

Police did not say which compensation scheme was involved, The Associated Press reported. A joint federal and state plan offered up to 35,000 Australian dollars to Bondi victims injured by bullets or shrapnel, according to AP. Police said the fraud case "will have no impact on the matters currently before the court," AP reported.

The Home Affairs Department said an Indian national had been detained at Parramatta Police Station on Tuesday after being charged, but said it could not comment on individual matters for privacy reasons, according to AP.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, called the alleged fraud "despicable" in an interview with Nine Network television, AP reported.

The attack and the case against the accused gunman

Fifteen people, aged 10 to 87, were killed when two men opened fire on a crowd at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, police said. About 40 people were wounded in total, according to AP. Police shot one gunman, Sajid Akram, 50, dead. His son, Naveed Akram, now 25, was wounded, arrested and charged.

Naveed Akram appeared in a Sydney court Wednesday on 78 charges, including 15 counts of murder, 43 of attempted murder and one of committing a terrorist act, AP reported. He has not entered pleas. Police allege the pair were inspired by the Islamic State group.

Judge Karen Stafford granted a prosecution request to adjourn the case until Feb. 24, and defense lawyers did not object, AP reported. Prosecutor Danielle New told the court that prosecutors needed more time to consult victims and their relatives before the charges could be certified, the step that sets out which charges go to the New South Wales Supreme Court for trial.