Metro Manila, Philippines – The two gunmen involved in one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings that killed 15 travelled to the Philippines last month, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
The BI said the father-and-son suspects, Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, arrived in the Philippines together on Nov. 1 from Sydney, Australia.
“Both reported Davao as their final destination. They left the country on Nov. 28, 2025, on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination,” the bureau said.
Australia’s New South Wales Police said in a briefing that the purpose of the gunmen’s trip remains under investigation, adding that they have found early indications that the tragic Hanukkah event “point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.”
“These are the alleged actions of those who have aligned themselves with a terrorist organisation, not a religion,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said in a news conference.
In a call to NewsWatch Plus, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it is closely coordinating with other government agencies to verify “potential terrorist links” of the two gunmen, saying the foreign nationals could have just used Davao as a point of entry and there is no definite information yet whether they used the Philippines as a training ground.
“At this time, there is no validated information confirming such claims. Matters involving the movements of foreign nationals and potential terrorist links are being closely coordinated through the appropriate government agencies,” it also said in a statement.
The mass shooting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed 15 people, making it Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years.
The father and son fired on hundreds of people at the festival during a roughly 10-minute killing spree at one of Australia’s top tourist destinations, forcing people to flee and take shelter before both were shot by police.
Some 25 survivors are receiving care in several Sydney hospitals, officials said.
