Disinformation operation targets Bondi terrorist attack

Matthew Elmas December 15, 2025
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The website has repeatedly spread disinformation about Australian politicians. Image by AAP/Facebook

WHAT WAS CLAIMED

Pauline Hanson threatened to strip Muslims of Australian citizenship and linked the Bondi attack to the return of "ISIS brides".

OUR VERDICT

False. The quotes attributed to the senator are fake and were shared by a known disinformation operation.

AAP FACTCHECK - Foreign-run Facebook pages are spreading disinformation about the Bondi Beach terror attack, churning out AI-generated articles that stoke social tensions.

The posts from the pages, operated from Vietnam, have attracted thousands of views and have been widely shared by users who appear to believe the claims relating to Sunday's attack.

At least 15 people were killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, which authorities have declared a terrorist attack.

Among the false claims are suggestions One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has threatened to strip citizenship from millions of Muslims, and that she linked the attack to the return of "ISIS brides". 

AAP FactCheck has repeatedly debunked disinformation about Australian politicians shared by the same pages.

One of the pages, Swim Aquatics, has posted four times about the Bondi shootings in the 24 hours since they occurred.

A screenshot of a disinformation website.
One of the Australian politics articles includes prompts from an artificial intelligence service. (AAP/www.amazing247.feji.io)

Each post links to a story hosted on an external website.

The linked articles contain numerous factual errors and appear to have been generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. 

In one case, the authors failed to remove a section at the bottom of the article in which the chatbot asks whether the user would like the story rewritten.

"If you want, I can: Make it more dramatic or more neutral; Rewrite it in tabloid style or mainstream media style; Adjust it to sound like Australian, US, or UK media; Change the headline or add quotes," it reads. 

One Swim Aquatics post claims Senator Hanson "sent native-born Australians into wild cheers when she publicly declared that millions of Muslim citizens in Australia could lose their citizenship".

"'After the Bondi attack, we no longer trust any Muslim,'" it quotes Senator Hanson as saying. 

A screenshot of a website called Amazing Blogs.
The posts link to a website called Amazing Blogs that is predominantly in Italian. (AAP/www.amazing247.feji.io/)

The quotes attributed to the One Nation leader in the post are fake. 

Senator Hanson has posted a statement about the attack, but it doesn't call for stripping Muslims of citizenship.

Ms Hanson told Brisbane's 4BC Radio (timestamp six minutes 55 seconds) on Monday that she blamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the attack and condemned Islamic fundamentalism, while insisting she was not "targeting Muslims in general."

The Facebook post directs users to an article that makes a series of additional false claims. 

It claims the senator called for Muslims to be stripped of citizenship during a speech on December 14, but then references the 2024 Bondi Junction stabbing.

The article also claims that the prime minister condemned Senator Hanson in a statement at Parliament House, accusing her of "hate-mongering". 

A photo of mourners placing flowers at a makeshift memorial at Bondi.
A makeshift memorial was established at Bondi Beach the day after the terrorist attack. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

Senator Hanson did not give a public speech on Sunday, and while Mr Albanese did issue a statement from Canberra about the Bondi attack on December 14, it didn't mention her.

Another post claims Senator Hanson also drew a link between the return of so-called "ISIS Brides" and the Bondi shooting. 

The "ISIS brides" are the families of Islamic State fighters who have since returned to Australia as citizens, most recently in October, according to ABC News.

"Pauline Hanson is ANGRY, saying that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese IGNORED warning signs of terrorism from so-called ISIS brides and ISIS members whom he EASILY ALLOWED into Australia—especially concerning the Jewish community in Australia, which appears to be the target of this terrorist attack," the post reads.

"Right in front of Parliament, she took the microphone and delivered a 15-WORD STATEMENT WARNING aimed at Albanese, leaving all MPs FROZEN."

A screenshot of a Facebook post.
The statement attributed to Ms Hanson is among numerous fake quotes being shared by Swim Aquatics. (AAP/Facebook)

Senator Hanson has not drawn a link between the return of "ISIS Brides" and the shooting and has not delivered a statement in front of parliament since the attack.

As in the other post, users are directed to an external article that makes additional false claims. 

In this case, the article doesn't actually reference the Bondi Beach shooting, instead claiming Senator Hanson's statement came before that attack took place. 

A third post from the same page, published hours after the attack, also links users to an external article containing additional false claims.

"The safety of Australians must come first," the article quotes Senator Hanson as saying.

"If there are gaps in our security or failures in our immigration and monitoring systems, they must be exposed and fixed immediately."

A screenshot of a Facebook post.
The post links to an article that includes more fabricated quotes attributed to Pauline Hanson. (AAP/Facebook)

While Senator Hanson has issued a statement about the Bondi attack, it doesn't explicitly mention immigration. There is no other record of the quote attributed to the senator.

Another post claims Senator Hanson declared Mr Albanese must "SHUT UP AND PROTECT THEM" in response to the attack, and that the prime minister responded in an "emergency press conference" where he broke down in tears and apologised.

An article on an external website goes on to make a series of additional false claims, featuring photographs of some of the victims of the attack.

It claims Senator Hanson criticised Mr Albanese over the attack in "Question Time" yesterday, despite the fact that parliament is not currently sitting and won't return until 2026.

"I cannot let my people be threatened by those whom Anthony Albanese himself allowed into Australia to live," the article quotes her as saying.

The article then goes on to quote Mr Albanese purportedly apologising to Australians.

"I thought I was doing the right thing. Bringing Australian citizens home. Showing mercy. But if this has put Australians in danger—if Jewish Australians are living in fear because of decisions I made—I apologise," Mr Albanese is quoted as saying.

The quotes in the Facebook post and article are fabricated.

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Sources

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