Naveed Akram: Bondi Beach shooter's real name is David Cohen? Bizarre IDF links surface

False social posts claimed suspect Naveed Akram, one of the Bondi Beach shooters, was ex-IDF soldier “David Cohen.” A Facebook profile of Cohen is viral.

Naveed Akram, the 24-year-old man, along with his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, have been identified as the only perpetrators of the attack on December 14 at a Jewish celebration in Bondi Beach, near Sydney in Australia.

Flowers and greetings at the Copenhagen Synagogue in Krystalgade, Copenhagen, Denmark, December 15 after the Bondi Beach mass shooting. (via REUTERS)

At least 16 people died in the attack, and more than 42 people were injured in what has been described by authorities as an attack with antisemitic motive.

Amid the attack, a number of false and unverified claims about the suspects in the Bondi Beach shooting and their links to different organizations are being spread. But little information is available in the public domain about the two.

A CBS News report stated that they were of Pakistani origin, though that remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, authorities in Australia confirmed that the son, Naveed Akram, was on the radar of Australia’s security agency (ASIO) for alleged ties to an Islamic State (IS)–linked cell.

While little is known about them beyond, posts on social media are making a bizarre claim that the 24-year-old suspect, Naveed Akram, was a former IDF soldier whose real name is David Cohen. A Facebook profile, allegedly belonging to David Cohen, is being circulated on social media, where the photo of Naveed Akram can be seen.

Here's the viral screenshot:

However, the claims are false and outright misleading, as neither reports nor official sources in Australia have any links to the Israeli Defence Forces. Along with a screenshot of the Facebook profile, a screenshot from Google Trends allegedly showing Naveed Akram's name being searched in Tel Aviv on the day of the shooting also surfaced.

Here's the post:

Bondi Beach Shooting: What We Know So Far

The deadly shooting unfolded on the afternoon of December 14 at the Chanukah by the Sea Hanukkah. Verified footage showed the sustained gunfire period lasting about 10 minutes with police engagement.

Police controlled the scene at around 7:15 p.m.; one gunman, Sajid Akram, the father, was killed at the scene, and the second, Naveed Akram, was critically wounded and taken into custody.

The father held a valid firearms license and had six registered guns, which police believe were used in the attack. Improvised explosive devices were found in a vehicle linked to the suspects, but they did not detonate.