What was claimed
Images show hundreds of radical Islamists gathering in Melbourne just days after the Bondi Beach shootings.
Our verdict
False. The pictures are from a religious gathering held in July 2025.
AAP FACTCHECK - Images showing a supposed mass gathering of “radical Islamists” just days after the Bondi shooting actually depict a peaceful religious event held months earlier.
The photos depict an Ashura procession, a Shia Muslim gathering, that occurred in Melbourne in July 2025.
On December 14, at least 15 people were killed and dozens were injured when two gunmen opened fire on people celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach.
Since then, numerous social media posts have shared images of a mass congregation of Muslims with users including a caption incorrectly calling it a post-Bondi attack gathering of "radical Islamists".
The posts include images of hundreds of people kneeling in a park, appearing to pray.
"INSANE! Radical Islamists just got together in Melbourne 3 days after 2 radicals SHOT & K*LLED 15 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney," one post reads.
However, these images were captured several months before the terrorist attack.
The images appear to be screenshots taken from a TikTok video that was posted on July 7, 2025, the day of the Melbourne procession.
The first image in the Facebook post is identical to the frame three seconds into the TikTok clip, while the second image matches the video at 19 seconds in.
A video taken from a similar angle was also posted on YouTube on July 8, 2025.
The group prayer event was part of an Ashura procession, one of the holiest events in the Islamic lunar calendar, with particular significance for Shia Muslims.
The clips show people at the 12th annual Ashura procession in Melbourne, where attendees gathered on the lawns of the Treasury Gardens in the CBD.
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