False
Fact-Checked
- 22.12.2025
Viral clip of Australian police official saying 4 Indians arrested over Bondi Beach attack is doctored
CLAIM
Viral clip of Australian police official Krissy Barrett saying four Indian nationals arrested over Bondi Beach attack
RATING JUSTIFICATION
The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.
To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to trace the original source and analysed the clip using AI-detection tools to assess its authenticity.
Multiple accounts on social media platform X were sharing a clip since December 19, 2025, that allegedly shows Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett stating that the Bondi Beach terror attack involved a wider Indian extremist network. However, the clip is dubbed over with AI-generated audio.
On Dec 14, 15 people were killed in a mass shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Police identified the two gunmen involved in the attack as father and son.
The father, a 50-year-old, was killed at the scene, taking the number of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son was in a critical condition in hospital, police said at a press conference on Dec 15.
Witnesses said the attack at the famed beach, which was packed on a hot evening, lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds of people scattering along the sand and into nearby streets. According to the police, around 1,000 people attended the targeted event, which was held in a small park off the beach.
Australian police said both men had travelled to the Philippines last month, the father on an Indian passport and the son on an Australian one. Indian police said on Dec 16 that the 50-year-old was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad but had limited contact with his family in India.
HOW IT STARTED
On Dec 19, an account on X that appears to be pro-state based on its previous posts shared a clip with the following caption: “Krissy Barret, Australian Federal Police commissioner confirmed the involvement of a wider network involving four Indian nationals following the Bondi attack incident.”
The post gained 106,300 views.
The transcript of the clip is provided below:
“During an intelligence-led operation, authorities confirmed the arrest of four individuals of Indian nationality following the Bondi incident as part of ongoing investigative efforts. These arrests represent a significant development in uncovering the wider network under scrutiny. We acknowledge and appreciate the cooperation provided by Indian authorities and intelligence partners, whose timely and precise information played an essential role in guiding our actions.”
On Dec 21, an account that appears to be anti-Indian based on its previous posts shared the same clip on X with a similar caption, saying: “Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett confirmed that the Bondi attack was not an isolated incident but involved a wider network. Four Indian nationals were later arrested, allegedly Hindu extremists operating under false Muslim identities. From Canada to Australia, Pakistan to Bangladesh, Indian agencies have been involved in terrorism globally.”
The post gained 58,600 views.
A pro-military account also shared the same clip with a similar caption, gaining over 46,000 views.
Another account on X, which appears to be a Sri Lankan Muslim based on its account bio, also shared the same clip, gaining over 69,000 views.
The same clip with a similar claim was shared by several other accounts on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.
METHODOLOGY
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the Bondi Beach attack, as well as in any Indian connection to the incident.
Some users in the comments section of the posts said that the video was AI-generated. The clip was subsequently analysed using AI-detection and forensic tools to corroborate whether it had been digitally altered.
The Deepfake Total detection tool indicated an approximately 30 per cent likelihood of AI-generated manipulation.
Meanwhile, Hive Moderation flagged the clip for 98.7pc AI-generated or altered audio, strongly indicating synthetic dubbing.
A keyword search yielded Commissioner Barrett’s press conference uploaded on December 18, 2025, by Australian news agency The Sydney Morning Herald with the following headline: “‘My heart is heavy’: AFP commissioner’s emotional update on Bondi investigation”.
In the press briefing, the commissioner did not make any statements about the arrest of Indian nationals, the involvement of a wider extremist network or the use of false religious identities.
Instead, she said that the police charged a man from Bonnyrigg over the attack. She added that further raids and investigations were underway, including probes into suspected “hate preachers”, as police worked with local and international partners to establish the full network of contacts.
Additionally, the police force also addressed the viral clip directly on its official website in a Dec 20 statement that said: “The AFP is aware there are social media posts that have used AI to distort and change the comments of AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett in relation to the alleged Bondi Beach terror attack. All statements made by Commissioner Barrett are published on the AFP website. The AFP recommends the public seek information from official websites.”
FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE
The claim that a viral clip shows AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett saying four Indian nationals were arrested over the Bondi Beach attack is false.
The clip is doctored and has been dubbed over through AI-generated audio.
Evidence and References
December 18, 2025, The Sydney Morning Herald video:
December 20, 2025, AFP clarification:
https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-statement/afp-statement-about-fake-social-media-posts