SYDNEY — A Jewish lawyer wounded in December’s terror attack targeting a Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach discovered that AI-generated images depicting him as a “crisis actor” were proliferating online as he was going into surgery, a royal commission inquiry heard Monday.

Arsen Ostrovsky, a Jewish community leader, said a selfie image he had sent to a friend in the aftermath of the antisemitic attack was quickly distorted by AI online to make it appear as if his injuries had been faked.

His story emerged in hearings of the federal royal commission, the highest level of public inquiry, which was formed after the December 14 attack, Australia’s deadliest shooting in decades.

During the assault, father-son duo Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire on Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah at the country’s most famous beach, killing 15 people.

Public hearings — tasked with probing the factors leading to Australia’s deadliest terror attack — have started to receive testimony about the role social media plays in the spread of antisemitism.

“It has become increasingly apparent that the online environment and social media platforms in particular are perhaps the most significant factor for the spread of antisemitism,” said assisting counsel Richard Lancaster.

Ostrovsky, head of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council in Sydney, said his selfie started........

© The Times of Israel