Authorities in the Philippines are investigating a potential connection between two Australian men and the father-son duo accused of carrying out the deadly Hanukkah attack on Bondi Beach. The probe centres on whether the men from Sydney crossed paths with the alleged gunmen during a four-week stay in Davao City.
Overlapping Stays in a Budget Hotel
The focus of the investigation is the GV Hotel in Davao City, where the accused terrorists, Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed, stayed for a month prior to the December 14 shootings. The pair paid approximately $24 per night for their accommodation.
It has now emerged that two other men from Sydney were in Davao City at a time which overlapped with the Akrams’ stay. According to reports, one man, believed to be in his 50s, flew from Sydney to Manila before travelling to Davao on November 8, returning to Australia on November 25. A younger man, thought to be in his 20s, arrived on the very day the older man departed and flew back to Sydney on December 3.
"That is the question, (what was) the purpose," a police source told The Daily Telegraph. "That is what we want to know. They did not go to any tourist destinations."
A City Under Scrutiny
Philippines National Police (PNP) officers are scouring CCTV footage from across Davao City to determine if the Akrams knew or met the other Sydney men. Investigators are also examining footage of a meeting between Sajid Akram and a Muslim cleric at a mosque near the hotel.
Davao City, with a population of 1.85 million, is not a typical holiday spot for Australians. The city maintains heavy security, with guards in army fatigues armed with assault rifles positioned on street corners—a measure instituted after a 2016 night market bombing that killed 15 people.
Significantly, the city is only a ten-hour drive from mountainous regions in Mindanao that have served as a haven for Islamic State-linked terror groups for over a decade, used for training and organising global attacks. However, Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has denied the suspected Bondi terrorists received 'military style training' in the country.
Charges and Ongoing Investigations
Naveed Akram, who was taken into custody after being shot by police, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. The charges allege he and his father opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 and injuring 40 others in an attack authorities say was inspired by ISIS.
While Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett stated there is currently no evidence to suggest other individuals were involved in the attack, she cautioned that this could change as the investigation is still in its early stages. Meanwhile, hotel staff expressed bafflement at the Akrams' extended stay, describing them as quiet guests who mostly ate fast food like Jollibee in their room.
The international investigation continues as authorities piece together the movements and contacts of the alleged attackers in the weeks leading up to the Bondi Beach massacre.
