The father and son accused of carrying out one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings spent most of November in the Philippines, according to immigration authorities in Manila. Philippine officials confirmed on Tuesday that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram entered the country on November 1, with the father recorded as an “Indian national.”
The two carried out a deadly attack at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens.“Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian national, and Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together on November 1, 2025, from Sydney,” immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told AFP.
“Both declared Davao as their final destination.”She added that the pair departed the Philippines on November 28, traveling from Davao to Manila before boarding a flight back to Sydney.
Earlier, police and military officials had said they were still verifying reports of the suspects’ presence in the country.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Tuesday that the two men were likely radicalized by Daesh ideology.
Davao, a major city on the eastern side of Mindanao, lies in a region where armed groups have historically operated, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas of central and southwestern Mindanao.
However, the Philippine military said it could not immediately confirm reports that the suspects had received “military-style training” during their stay, despite earlier claims suggesting such activity. Mindanao has a long history of insurgency against the central government. In 2017, pro-Daesh groups, including Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants, seized the city of Marawi in a five-month siege that left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. Although militant activity in Mindanao has declined significantly since then, the Philippine military continues operations against leaders of groups designated as terrorist organizations.
