The father-and-son attackers accused of carrying out the deadly shooting on Australia’s famous Bondi Beach appeared to have met with local Muslim religious leaders during their sojourn to the Philippines last month, intelligence authorities said on Sunday.
Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, slipped out of the southern city of Davao to visit Muslim religious leaders in the city of Panabo, an agricultural community about 32km to the north, during their monthlong stay in November, the authorities said. Who specifically they met in the area and what was discussed are still being investigated, they added.
The suspects’ stay in Davao just ahead of their rampage on Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration, has raised questions about a possible resurgence of militancy in the southern Philippines. Australian officials have described the December 14 attack as an act of terrorism inspired by Islamic State ideology.
Davao is the largest city on the island of Mindanao, the country’s southern hub, which is home to a smattering of long-simmering Islamist insurgencies, some involving groups that claim loyalty to the Islamic State.
Initial information about the Akrams, provided by Australian counterterrorism experts, said that the two had been inspired by the Islamic State and were reported to have travelled to the Philippines for training. On Wednesday, the National Security Council in the Philippines said that it was unable to confirm whether the men had "received any form of training in the Philippines".
The Philippine National Police regional director, Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, said in a statement on Sunday that officers in Davao had "examined any activities they may have conducted during their stay, including identifying the individuals they interacted with, and assessing possible links or support networks".
Local police, backed by intelligence operatives in coordination with the Australian intelligence agency, are conducting "backtracking operations to establish their movements during their stay", he said. “This included the review of CCTV footage, hotel records, travel data and other available intelligence information,” he said, stressing that intelligence gathering was continuing.
PM booed
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by an angry crowd gathered at the famous Bondi beach on Sunday to honour the victims of the gun attack a week earlier that targeted a seaside Jewish Hanukkah festival event.
The nation marked a day of reflection on Sunday to honour the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was held at 6.47pm (local time), the time the attack began.
New York Times News Service and AP
