Father and son duo, Sajid and Naveed Akram, are accused of traveling to a notorious ISIS hub in the Philippines for military training just weeks before allegedly opening fire on 15 individuals during a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach.
The Daily Mail has uncovered that the dense jungles of Mindanao have long been associated with some of the world’s most notorious extremists, including those involved in the 2002 Bali Bombings who were reportedly radicalized in this region.
In the wake of the tragic attacks in Kuta, which claimed the lives of 202 people, including 88 Australians, two bombers escaped to the Philippines. There, they continued to impart their deadly skills, instructing new recruits in the art of explosive assembly.
For many years, ISIS-affiliated terror organizations have exploited the secluded southern islands of the Philippines as a fertile ground for international recruits, drawing them into concealed jungle camps where they are molded into ruthless operatives.
Upon arrival, recruits are subjected to relentless radical indoctrination, intended to convince them of their role as warriors in a worldwide conflict.
These individuals are frequently recruited through encrypted communications or clandestine Islamic study groups.
They are promised brotherhood and spiritual purpose, only to discover they are being trained to fight.
Former recruits have spoken of being shown graphic propaganda celebrating mass murder and suicide bombings.
Naveed (pictured) and his father allegedly killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach
The alleged father and son gunmen Sajid (right) and Naveed Akram (left) travelled to the Philippines weeks before the massacre
The Bali Bomb attacks in the centre of Kuta killed 202 people, including 88 Australians
Others say they were taught to fire automatic weapons and build crude bombs using everyday items easily found at a hardware store.
On Monday, interim suppression orders were lifted over the police statement of alleged facts, enabling a redacted version to be publicly released.
It revealed allegations that Naveed and his father threw four improvised explosive devices towards the crowd when they arrived at Bondi.
Officers say at about 6.50 pm on December 14, the pair parked their vehicle on Campbell Parade, placed Islamic State flags across the front and rear windscreens.
The pair then allegedly took three firearms from the car along with three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb before walking towards the footbridge.
The bombs did not explode but police say they were viable.
The Bali bomb makers Azahari Husin, known as the Demolition Man, and Noordin Mohammad Top, were Malaysian engineers who travelled to the Philippines for military training five years before the Bali atrocity.
And in the wake of the attack, Indonesian bomb experts Umar Patek and Dulmatin fled to the southern Philippines to avoid arrest and continued training local militants.
Bali bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek fled to the Philippines to avoid arrest and teach bomb making
The Akrams allegedly placed Islamic State flags across the front and rear windscreens
The Akrams then allegedly took three firearms from the car along with three pipe bombs
Photos show Sajid posing for photos with a firearm
Photo’s of Naveed posing with a gun have emerged
Patek was later jailed in 2012 for his role in the murders and released in 2022. Dulmatin is believed to have been killed in 2010.
Between November 1 and November 28 the Akrams travelled to Davao City, the main centre in the southern province of Mindanao.
The pair stayed for four weeks in a cramped twin room at the GV Hotel, located in a neon lit district of massage parlours and go go bars popular with western sex tourists.
Hotel staff told Daily Mail the men rarely left their room except for short one hour outings.
The Philippine government insists such terror camps are no longer active, but there is growing speculation authorities have not yet revealed the full picture.
What is certain is that the decision to travel to Mindanao has become central to the investigation into what the pair were doing overseas and who they might have met.
‘From the material available, we know they went to the Southern Philippines which has historically been a site of conflict for a whole range of extremist groups for decades,’ Dr Ian Wilson, a lecturer in politics and security studies at Murdoch University in Perth, said.
‘Now there are micro splinter factions and a jumble of different groups in Mindanao and a range of actors broadly networked with Islamic State.’
This video screengrab shows several members of Abu Sayyaf, one of several militant groups in the Philippines to have pledged allegiance to ISIS
Between November 1 and November 28 the Akrams travelled to Davao City, the main centre in the southern province of Mindanao
Three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb were allegedly thrown into the crowd
‘There are a lot of things we do not know,’ Dr Wilson added. ‘But you do not go to Mindanao for the sake of it.’
Philippine authorities have publicly rejected claims the pair were there for terror training.
The armed forces say there is no evidence the alleged Bondi killers trained with militants during their stay.
It is understood detectives are now tracking the pair’s credit card use and local SIM cards to determine their exact movements.
It has been suggested they used Davao as an entry point to reach the city of Cagayan de Oro and later Marawi.
Marawi is known as a no-go zone for tourists and locals, with the Filipino government issuing a category four warning urging civilians not to travel to the region under any circumstances.
Those who enter face the very real risk of death due to ongoing battles between militant groups and the armed forces.
