Bondi Beach shooters visited Philippines prior to attack – BI

MANILA, Philippines, December 17 ------ The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday said that the two suspects – father and son – in the Bondi Beach mass shooting incident in Sydney, Australia visited and stayed in the Philippines for almost the entire month of November.

According to the BI, both arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Philippine Airlines Flight PR212 from Sydney to Manila on Nov. 1, before boarding a connecting flight to the Davao International Airport. Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian national and Australian resident, traveled on an Indian passport, while his son Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian national, used an Australian passport. They departed on Nov. 28 on the same flight number, PR212, from Davao via Manila back to Sydney, weeks before the assault that killed 15 people. “Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national, and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together last Nov. 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia,” immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told AFP. “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.”

A report over BBC, citing security sources, said the gunmen allegedly received “military-style training” a month before the shooting. The Philippine National Police (PNP) is investigating the nature of the duo’s visit. Last Dec. 14, the two, armed with guns, shot and killed 15 people including a 10-year-old girl – and wounded dozens of others – at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Sajid was killed in a shootout with officers, while the son is in a critical condition in hospital, under police guard.

Source: philstar.com