The two men accused of carrying out the deadly shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach are believed to have travelled to the Philippines for military-style training in the weeks leading up to the attack, Australian counterterrorism officials have said.
Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, left Australia on 1 November and returned on 28 November, just days before the violence that killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more.
A senior counterterrorism official told Australian media that the pair underwent militant-style training while in the Philippines, a country regarded by security agencies as a key base for Islamist extremist networks.
Travel confirmed by Philippine authorities
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration has confirmed that the two men arrived from Australia on 1 November, declaring Davao as their destination.
Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Sajid Akram entered the country using an Indian passport, while Naveed Akram travelled on an Australian passport.
“They left the country on 28 November on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination,” she said.
Australian authorities are now investigating whether the pair had direct ties to an international jihadist network, following reports that they received training during the trip, according to the ABC.
Extremist links in Mindanao
Davao is located on the southern island of Mindanao, which has been a hotspot for Islamic militancy for decades. After training camps on the Pakistan–Afghanistan border were dismantled in the 1990s, similar facilities were established in southern Mindanao.
The region has experienced prolonged insurgency, with Islamist groups seeking to establish an independent state. In 2017, Islamic State fighters laid siege to the city of Marawi for five months before being driven out by Philippine government forces.
Despite the military crackdown, security experts say hundreds of Islamic State fighters remain active in the predominantly Catholic country, continuing to recruit using poverty and long-standing political grievances in Mindanao.
Attack at Hanukkah celebration
The attack unfolded at around 6.40pm local time on Sunday, as Jewish families gathered at Bondi Beach for Chanuka by the Sea, marking the first night of the eight-day festival.
Police say the pair parked near the beachfront, draped an Islamic State flag over the bonnet of their car, armed themselves with a rifle and a shotgun, and moved to a bridge overlooking a car park before opening fire on a crowd of around 1,000 people.
Among those killed was Matilda, a ten-year-old girl who had been at a petting zoo shortly before the shooting.
Evidence recovered and investigation ongoing
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and two homemade Islamic State flags from a car registered to Naveed Akram that was parked at the scene.
Police have confirmed that Naveed Akram has since regained consciousness after being in a coma for almost 48 hours.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attackers appeared to have been inspired by Islamic State ideology, as investigations continue into how the attack was planned and whether others were involved.
Public response
More than AUD $2 million has been raised for Ahmed al Ahmed, who was filmed wrestling a gun away from one of the attackers during the chaos and has been widely praised for his actions.
The attack has prompted an outpouring of grief and condemnation from around the world.
