Investigators probing the deadly Bondi Beach shooting have made a chilling discovery: a mobile phone used by the alleged gunmen was detected twice near a region in the Philippines infamous for training Islamic State terrorists.
Philippines Trip Under Scrutiny
Naveed Akram, 24, travelled to the Philippines in November with his father Sajid, 50, just one month before they allegedly opened fire at a Hanukkah by the Sea event in Sydney. The attack left 15 people dead and many more injured. Sajid was killed by police during the incident, while Naveed remains in custody facing 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder.
The precise reason for their four-week trip to Southeast Asia is a core focus for joint investigations by the Australian Federal Police and the Philippines National Police. However, a significant breakthrough has revealed that a phone linked to the Akrams pinged in M'Lang, North Cotabato. This province borders areas notorious for hosting terror training camps.
Activities in a Terrorism Hotspot
The father and son based themselves in Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao, repeatedly extending their stay at the GV Hotel to 28 days. The budget hotel is situated in a red-light district. Experts suggest their week-to-week cash payments raise serious suspicions they were meeting with extremists, potentially for training.
Despite claims from hotel staff that the pair rarely left their room, CCTV footage has since captured Naveed on the streets of Davao. Police sources confirm the duo visited a local outlet of Shooters Guns & Ammo Corp, the largest gun retail franchise in the Philippines. While it is unknown if they made any purchases, the visit is highly significant.
Their movements also included trips to the Seagull White Sand Beach Resort and an RCBC bank ATM. Crucially, they are believed to have travelled to the nearby city of Panabo for around eight hours, where they met with several Islamic leaders, an encounter partially captured on CCTV.
Links to Global Terrorism Networks
Mindanao has long been a global terrorism hotspot, with militant groups like Abu Sayyaf and, later, Islamic State East Asia, using its remote terrain for training. North Cotabato sits strategically between Davao and these militant regions.
"We have also received information they [used a] cell phone in other areas of Mindanao. I think they were twice detected in other areas," a police source told the ABC. This digital trail intensifies fears among Australian security experts that the pair may have sought military-style training, a claim Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has so far rejected.
The investigation continues as authorities work to unravel the full purpose of the Akrams' Philippine journey and its connection to the horrific attack on Bondi Beach.
