AFP: No evidence Bondi Beach shooters trained in Philippines
- Balitang Marino
- 28 minutes ago
- 2 min read
MANILA, Philippines, November 18 ------ There is no evidence that the suspects behind the Bondi Beach attack in Australia trained, coordinated, or carried out terror-related activities while in the Philippines, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), citing a prolonged decline in local terrorist groups.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Tuesday in a chance interview at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City that the military “can’t see” how the men involved in the Bondi incident could have trained in the Philippines, given that the country’s counterterrorism efforts have significantly reduced extremist presence. “From a high of 2,000 years ago, it went down during the Marawi Siege. Now, there are only a few left,” he said.
Brawner cautioned against speculation that the two gunmen trained in the Philippines, stressing that multiple agencies are coordinating the ongoing investigation. “Not only is the AFP investigating here, but the other agencies as well,” he said.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla likewise said on Wednesday the two suspects entered the country as tourists, passed through Manila, and proceeded to Davao City, where they stayed for less than a month. She said authorities are not speculating on their intentions or activities without verified information. “Our intelligence operatives are at work,” Padilla said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “We do not want to speculate on their activities. We assert what the factual ground data has.” She added that AFP assessments are based on empirical data from field units.
The statement came after the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that a senior counterterrorism official told the network that Naveed and Sajid Akram underwent military-style training in the southern Philippines in November. The Bureau of Immigration confirmed the suspects entered the Philippines on Nov. 1 and left on Nov. 28, with Davao City listed as their reported destination.
Source: inquirer.net