Fact-check: Fake MoFA press release linking Bondi Beach attackers to Pakistan

After two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration in Australia’s Bondi Beach on December 14, social media users began circulating a purported press release from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 

The document claimed that one of the attackers had earlier visited the Rawalpindi Cantonment area in Pakistan from December 1 to 5.

The claim is untrue. The press release is fabricated.

Claim

On December 16, an India-based user on X (formerly Twitter) shared an alleged document dated the same day, purportedly issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The press release claims that the Bondi Beach gunmen had visited Pakistan prior to the attack. “In the spirit of transparency, the Ministry wishes to confirm that said individuals were indeed present in the Rawalpindi Cantonment area from December 1 to December 5,” it states, adding that the visit was part of a non-state actor cultural exchange programme.

The document is signed by Tahir Andrabi, identified as the ministry’s spokesperson.

At the time of writing, the post had received more than 119,000 views, 1,000 reposts, and 3,000 likes.

The same letter was also shared by other India-based accounts, which can be viewed here, here, and here.

Fact

The press release is entirely fabricated. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued any such statement.

Geo Fact Check contacted a senior official at the ministry in Islamabad, who categorically dismissed the document as “fake”.

“The language itself indicates that it is fabricated,” the official said in messages.

Geo Fact Check also did not find any such press release on the official website of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 16.

Additionally, the document contains multiple discrepancies that indicate it is self-generated. It does not carry a serial number, which is a standard feature of official Ministry press releases. Nor does it follow the formatting, structural, or stylistic conventions typically used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It should also be noted that neither Pakistani nor international credible media outlets have reported that any suspects involved in the Bondi Beach shooting had travelled to Pakistan in December.

Verdict: The purported press release attributed to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fabricated. The ministry has issued no such statement, and no credible media reports support claims that the Bondi Beach attackers had travelled to Pakistan.

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