Suspected Bondi Beach Attackers Operated Solo and Did Not Instruction in the Southeast Asian Nation, Investigators Say.
The two alleged attackers responsible for the fatal shooting at a Jewish celebration on Bondi Beach, which claimed 15 lives, reportedly operated independently, per Australian law enforcement.
Police additionally revealed that the 50-year-old Sajid Akram, and his son Naveed Akram travelled to the Philippines on 1 November. Their travel plans included arriving in the main city Manila before traveling onward on the day of arrival to Davao City. The pair returned to Sydney on 29 November.
No Evidence of Planning During Trip
Authorities have stated the duo did not partake in any type of terrorist instruction or "organizing" during their visit in the Philippines. Early findings from local authorities indicate they "rarely left" their hotel.
The attack—declared Australia's worst firearm massacre since 1996—has been formally classified as a act of terrorism.
"Our teams are currently analyzing the evidence," the commissioner stated, explaining that early evaluations suggest that "the two men are suspected to have been lone actors."
National law enforcement Chief Krissy Barrett told reporters on Tuesday that security camera video tracking the accused attackers' whereabouts in the Philippines had been submitted to domestic investigators.
"There is no evidence to indicate these alleged offenders were members of a wider organization, or were directed by overseas entities to execute an attack," she said.
But, the men were also not necessarily in the Philippines as tourists, Commissioner Barrett added. She underscored that, as the probe is still active, new evidence could come to light.
Ideology and Legal Charges
In prior statements, the nation's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remarked it seems both accused attackers were "inspired by the so-called Islamic State" ideology.
During the incident, Sajid Akram was killed by police. He and his son Naveed—both armed with firearms—are accused of having targeted participants at the Jewish festival event.
Naveed Akram, who was hospitalised after the shooting, has been formally accused of 59 crimes. These comprise 15 counts of murder and one count of carrying out a terrorist act. He is expected to appear in court in April.
Travel Information
In the days following the shooting, border officials in the Philippines stated that the older suspect had arrived in the country using an foreign passport, while his son used an domestic passport.
The duo had declared the southern city of Davao as their intended endpoint. Their scheduled journey back to Australia was for Sydney.
Davao is a large metropolis on the east of Mindanao, the Philippines' main island in the south. The region is known because, Islamist groups have been known to operate in impoverished parts of central and south-western Mindanao.
