Man charged with lying about being injured in Sydney Hanukkah massacre to get compensation

Man charged with lying about being injured in Sydney Hanukkah massacre to get compensation The 46-year-old allegedly lied about being wounded in the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025 for government compensation - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A man in Australia has been charged with lying about being injured during the massacre of 15 people at a Sydney Hanukkah festival in 2025, in an attempt to get financial compensation for victims of crime. A 46-year-old man on Tuesday was charged in Sydney with publishing misleading material to obtain financial advantage and with false representation resulting in a police investigation, a statement by Australian police said on Wednesday. Police have not released the man's name. He claimed to have been wounded at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd, killing 15 people aged 10 to 87 and wounding about 40 people in total. Police released the fraud suspect on bail to appear in a Sydney court on 18 November, the statement said. Trial for alleged perpetrator delayed Police shot one of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, dead during the attack and wounded his son, Naveed Akram, now aged 25. Police allege the pair were inspired by the Islamic State group. The son appeared in a Sydney court on Wednesday on 78 charges including 15 counts of murder, 43 of attempted murder and one of committing a terrorist act. Akram has yet to enter any plea. Police said in a statement the fraud suspect, allegedly pretending to be a victim, “will have no impact on the matters currently before the court.” Judge Karen Stafford granted Prosecutor Danielle New’s application to have the case adjourned until 24 February. Defence lawyers did not object. New had told the court prosecutors needed more time to consult with victims and their relatives before charges could be certified. The charge certification process formally sets out which charges will proceed to the Supreme Court of New South Wales for trial. Police say man accused of fraud attempted to claim victims' compensation Police have not detailed which victims of crime compensation scheme the suspect had attempted to scam. A joint federal and state governments compensation plan offered up to AU$35,000 (£18,522) to Bondi victims injured by bullets or shrapnel. To qualify, a victim first needed to be recognised under a state government plan that offered victims up to AU$5,000 (£2646). Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported the suspect was an Indian national who was taken by immigration officials from the police station to the country's largest immigration detention centre and could potentially be deported. The Home Affairs Department said in a statement that an Indian national had been detained at that police station Tuesday after being charged. But the department “cannot comment on individual matters for privacy reasons,” the statement said, declining to provide further detail. Members of Sydney’s Jewish community have been appalled by the allegation that someone had attempted to make money from the Bondi tragedy. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Alex Ryvchin described the alleged fraud as despicable. “To use police resources when we need police investigating matters and keeping us safe nearly a year on, when we still have security challenges in the community and wider society, ... is something despicable and we all have to condemn it,” Ryvchin told Nine Network television.