Man charged over false injury claim in Sydney Hanukkah massacre

Sydney police charged a 46-year-old man with falsely claiming injury in the Bondi attack. The alleged compensation fraud has angered Jewish leaders and triggered immigration detention.Image used for representational purposes onlyMelbourne,Oct 28, 2026 16:06 ISTA 46-year-old man has been charged with falsely claiming that he was injured during the massacre at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney last year in an alleged attempt to secure financial compensation for crime victims, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile, court proceedings against an alleged gunman in the attack, which killed 15 people and injured about 40 others, were postponed on Wednesday until February 24 next year.The man accused of fraud was charged in Sydney on Tuesday with publishing misleading material to obtain a financial advantage and making a false representation that resulted in a police investigation, according to a police statement issued on Wednesday. His name has not been made public.He allegedly claimed that he was wounded at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025, when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd. The 15 people killed in the attack were aged between 10 and 87. Police released the man on bail. He is due to appear before a Sydney court on November 18, the statement said.Police shot dead one of the alleged gunmen, Sajid Akram, during the attack and wounded his son, Naveed Akram, who is now 25. Police allege that the pair were inspired by the Islamic State group. Naveed Akram appeared before a Sydney court on Wednesday on 78 charges, including 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. He has not entered a plea.Police said the alleged attempt by the fraud suspect to pose as a victim “will have no impact on the matters currently before the court”.Judge Karen Stafford accepted prosecutor Danielle New's request to adjourn the case until February 24. Defence lawyers did not object.New told the court that prosecutors needed more time to consult victims and their relatives before formally confirming the charges that would proceed to trial in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.Police have not disclosed which crime victims' compensation scheme the fraud suspect allegedly attempted to misuse, PTI reported.A joint federal and state government compensation plan offered up to 35,000 Australian dollars, or about $25,000, to Bondi victims injured by bullets or shrapnel. To qualify, a victim first had to be recognised under a state government plan offering up to AU$5,000, or about $3,500.Sydney's The Daily Telegraph reported that 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 an Indian national had been detained at the police station on Tuesday after being charged. However, it declined to provide further details, saying it “cannot comment on individual matters for privacy reasons”.Members of Sydney's Jewish community expressed dismay over the allegation that someone had attempted to profit from the Bondi attack. 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.The fraud suspect is scheduled to appear in court on November 18, while proceedings against Naveed Akram will resume on February 24 next year.With PTI Inputs- Ends