Police in New South Wales have arrested and charged a 46-year-old man who allegedly invented an injury from the Hanukkah terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, in an effort to obtain compensation set aside for victims. The announcement came on Wednesday.
According to a police statement, the man falsely said he had been hurt in the December 14, 2025 shooting, which left 15 people dead. He then submitted fraudulent compensation claims. Authorities have not revealed how much money he sought.
The Daily Telegraph named the suspect as Simaxwell Cyril, an Indian citizen. The newspaper reported that he said he had been struck by shrapnel during the attack, but he is suspected of having made up the injury.
The federal and New South Wales governments run a joint assistance program for those affected by the massacre. Eligible victims who were wounded by gunfire or shrapnel can receive a one-time payment of 35,000 Australian dollars, along with recognition grants and help covering medical costs and financial losses.
Suspicion fell on Cyril by chance. Detectives from the New South Wales Police Homicide Squad were examining police actions during the attack, in a probe separate from the terrorism investigation into the perpetrators. While collecting evidence, they came to doubt his account of his injury and concluded he may have used it to file compensation claims.
Police arrested him on Tuesday morning at a police station in Parramatta, in western Sydney. He was charged with publishing false or misleading information to obtain a benefit, and with making a false representation that led to the start of a police investigation. He was released on bail under restrictive conditions and is due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on November 18.
His troubles continued after his release. The Daily Telegraph reported that immigration authorities arrested him on suspicion of overstaying his visa. He was taken to the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre and is expected to be deported.
The allegations drew sharp reactions from Australia's Jewish community, which is still coming to terms with the attack. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told the Nine Network that pulling police resources toward false claims, at a time when the community needs protection from security threats, was an "abhorrent act that we should all condemn."
The Bondi attack was carried out by a father, Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, who opened fire on hundreds of people at a Hanukkah celebration. The 15 victims were aged between 10 and 87, and about 40 others were wounded. Police shot the father dead, while the son was wounded, arrested and charged.
A further hearing in the case against Naveed Akram, now 25, was held on Wednesday. He faces 78 charges, including 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and committing a terrorist act. Judge Karen Stafford granted a prosecution request to postpone the matter until February 2027 so consultations with victims and their families can be completed. Police said the fraud investigation would not affect the proceedings against Akram.
