Bondi Shooter: Philippines, Terror Training & Radicalization

Australian investigators have revealed that the perpetrators of the Bondi Beach shooting spent nearly a month in the Philippines prior to the attack, drawing attention to Mindanao, a region in the southern Philippines with a history of Islamist militancy.

Bondi Beach Shooting Suspects’ Trip to the Philippines

Sajid and Naveed Akram, the father-son duo accused in the Dec. 14 mass shooting that killed at least 15 people and injured dozens, stayed in Davao City, Mindanao, from Nov. 1 to 28 before returning to Sydney.

The trip has become a focal point for investigators seeking to determine any operational connection to the attack, though limited information has emerged nearly a week after the shooting.

Philippine police investigations have so far found no evidence to support claims of militant training for the duo.

Hotel staff interviewed by Minda News reported that the two stayed in the same room in a downtown hotel throughout their visit, rarely leaving for more than an hour at a time. They were not seen receiving visitors, using vehicles, or interacting with other guests, and left no documents or materials behind upon checkout. A police inspection of the room yielded no significant findings.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has refuted claims that the country served as a training ground for the attackers. “The President strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterisation of the Philippines as the ISIS training hot spot,” said his spokeswoman Claire Castro on Dec. 17.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano stated there was “no indicator or any information that they underwent training” in Mindanao, adding that “a mere visit does not support allegations of terrorist training.”

Armed Forces Chief General Romeo Brawner echoed this assessment, noting that the number of ISIS-linked militants in the country is down to about 50, and therefore, reports of training are not credible.

The shooting targeted a crowd of over 1,000 people gathered on Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah, marking the worst terrorist violence in Australia in decades.

The attack has renewed concerns about terrorist violence and challenged assumptions about the nature of the terrorist threat in Australia and the wider region.

Sajid Akram, 50, was killed at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed, remains hospitalized under police guard. Both are believed to have been influenced by ISIS.

Naveed Akram, born in Australia, was investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) for six months in 2019 for alleged ISIS links, but was not considered a threat at the time.

Sajid Akram, who migrated from Hyderabad, India, in 1998, had no known extremist links. National security expert Greg Barton of Deakin University suggested Sajid may have been radicalized by his son, while Indian authorities report no evidence of prior radicalization.

The father and son’s trip to Mindanao – a former hub for Al-Qaeda and ISIS-linked groups – a month before the attack has raised questions about whether it was coincidental.

Mindanao, the second-largest island in the Philippines, has long experienced terrorism and unrest. Islamist militants have operated in the southern Philippines for decades, forging ties with transnational extremist movements.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Abu Sayyaf developed links with Al-Qaeda, while later factions aligned with ISIS, culminating in the 2017 siege of Marawi, the country’s largest Muslim-majority city.

The Marawi siege displaced over 350,000 people and was the worst ISIS-linked conflict in Southeast Asia. Following the siege, Philippine authorities launched military operations, enacted counter-terrorism laws, and pursued peace agreements to weaken extremist networks.

ASIO has assessed that ISIS-linked networks in the Philippines have exploited economic and social vulnerabilities, particularly in central Mindanao where poverty and weak governance have facilitated recruitment.

Veteran Philippine journalist Carmela Fonbuena told ST that the Bondi Beach case highlights how quickly older threat narratives resurface after major attacks. She cautioned against assumptions, stating that the attack “did not require military-style training” and was “plain violence.”

Fonbuena also warned that ISIS operates more as a loose brand today, complicating efforts to distinguish between directed, inspired, or opportunistic attacks.

Kenneth Yeo of Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies shared this assessment, noting that the terrorism landscape in the Philippines has significantly improved since the 2017 Marawi siege. Manila has weakened and fragmented major terrorist groups, with mass surrenders and “collective demoralisation” among groups like Abu Sayyaf.

“The Australian police explained that the father-son duo’s activity in Davao is still a matter of investigation. I believe allegations that Mindanao is a terrorist training ground are based on the conditions in the late 1990s,” he said.

However, Dr. Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said that while there is no evidence the Bondi Beach attackers were trained in the Philippines, militant training camps in the region have not disappeared entirely. He stated that Davao serves as a logistical and planning hub for foreign terrorist fighters.

Mr. Yeo noted that while challenges remain, including the slow rehabilitation process in Marawi, there is “no popular legitimacy” for militant groups among displaced communities.

Fonbuena emphasized the risk of over-securitizing communities, which could deepen mistrust and undermine intelligence gathering, while poor communication between authorities and local communities has repeatedly hindered early threat detection.

The Bondi Beach incident presents a dilemma for intelligence agencies in the Philippines and Australia. While the Akrams’ trip to Mindanao complicates the investigation, Philippine authorities note that militant activity in the south has declined in recent years, and Manila is working to restore Mindanao’s image.