Bondi Beach suspect father arrived in Philippines as 'Indian national': immigration

A woman weeps after laying flowers outside Bondi Pavilion in Sydney on December 16, 2025, to honour victims of the Bondi Beach shooting. [AFP]

The father and son allegedly behind one of Australia's deadliest mass shootings spent nearly the entire month of November in the Philippines, authorities in Manila confirmed Tuesday, with the father entering as an "Indian national".

Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who allegedly killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach, entered the country on November 1 with the southern province of Davao listed as their final destination.

"Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national, and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together last November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia," immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told AFP.

"Both reported Davao as their final destination. They left the country on November 28, 2025 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination."

Police and military sources had earlier told reporters they were still in the process of confirming the duo's presence in the country.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that the two men had likely been radicalised by "Islamic State ideology".

The Philippines' southern island of Mindanao, home to Davao province, has a long history of Islamist insurgencies against central government rule.

Pro-Islamic State Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants -- including foreign and local fighters -- held Mindanao's Marawi under siege in 2017.

The Philippine military wrested back the ruined city after a five-month battle that claimed more than 1,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

While insurgent activity in Mindanao has significantly abated in the years since, the Philippine army continues to hunt leaders of groups deemed to be "terrorists".