Alleged Bondi gunmen acted alone and did not train in the Philippines, police say

The two alleged gunmen who killed 15 people at a Jewish event on Bondi Beach were not part of a wider terror cell and acted alone, Australian police have said.

Police also confirmed Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, travelled to the Philippines on 1 November, landing in the capital Manila before transiting that day to Davao City. They returned to Sydney on 29 November.

The pair did not undergo training or “logistical preparation” in the Philippines for the 14 December attack with early investigations from local authorities suggesting they “rarely left their hotel,” police said.

Police have declared the attack - Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996 - a terrorist incident.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told media on Tuesday that CCTV footage tracking the alleged gunmen’s movements in the Philippines had been handed to Australian authorities.

“We are currently reviewing the material,” she said, adding that initial assessments show that “these individuals are alleged to have acted alone”.

“There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell, or were directed by others to carry out an attack.”

But nor were the pair in the Philippines for tourism, Commissioner Barrett said.

She emphasised that as the investigation was ongoing, new evidence or information may emerge.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it appears both alleged gunmen were “motivated by Islamic State” ideology.

Sajid Akram was shot dead by police during the attack in which he and his son Naveed - both armed with long-barrelled guns - allegedly shot attendees at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach.

Naveed, who was hospitalised after the attack, has been charged with 59 offences including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act and is due to face court in April.

In the days after the shooting, the Philippines immigration bureau told the BBC that the father had entered the country using an Indian passport while his son used an Australian passport.

Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the duo had declared the southern city of Davao as their final destination and their return flight to Australia was for Sydney.

Davao is a sprawling metropolis on the east of the Philippines’ main southern island, Mindanao. Islamist militants have been known to operate in impoverished parts of central and south-western Mindanao.

Source: BBC

--Agencies