Sydney attacker wasn’t a student at Hamdard university, ID card is fake

Indian media outlets and social media accounts claimed that Naveed Akram, a suspect in the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi beach in Australia, was student at a Pakistani university.

It was claimed that Naveed was a student at Hamdard University, Islamabad, and graduated in 2020, and a student identity card was shared as evidence.

Indian journalist, Aditya Raj Kaul, posted on X, saying: “Terrorist Naveed Akram who killed 12 innocent Australians and Jews in Sydney earlier today is a Pakistani Origin Terrorist who has studied in Hamdard University in Islamabad, Pakistan.”

Similar claims were made by Indian media and social media accounts as seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Fact Check

These claims are false. There is no indication that suspect Naveed Akram was a student at Hamdard University.

According to media reports, Naveed is 24 years old and born on 12 August, 2001. It is unlikely for him to graduate in 2016 when he was supposedly aged 15. This implies that he received admission in the university aged just 11.

Hamdard University. Islamabad, does not have a Department of Plant Sciences. The university website shows it offers courses in Pharmacy, Eastern Medicine, Health and Medical Sciences, Management Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, and Emerging Sciences and Technology.

It has been noticed that CNIC number mentioned on the card is fake. All CNIC issued by NADRA have 13 digits, and not 12 as mentioned on the card.

Another glaring mistake is the picture on the university card is similar to the one circulating on the internet. The picture was taken at an Islamic learning institute in Australia. This was shared by Adam Ismail at the Al Murad Institute in 2022.

It has been concluded that there is no evidence that Naveed Akram was a student at the Hamdard University in Islamabad and the university student card is fake.