Two suspected shooters who attacked a Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach had travelled to the Philippines before the attack that killed 15 people and appeared to be inspired by ISIS, police said on Tuesday.
Sunday's attack was Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years and is being investigated as a terrorist act targeting the Jewish community.
The number of fatalities reached 16 people, including one of the suspected perpetrators of the shooting, who was identified by the police as Sajid Akram (50) who was shot by the police.
The man's 24-year-old son, who is suspected of being an accomplice, identified by local media as Naveed Akram, was in critical condition in hospital after also being shot.
Australian police said on Tuesday the two men had travelled to the Philippines last month and the purpose of the trip was being investigated. Meanwhile, Philippine police said they were investigating the matter.
"Initial indications suggest a terrorist attack inspired by (ISIS), allegedly carried out by a father and son," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a press conference, quoted by Al Arabiya (16/12).
"This is an act allegedly committed by those who have allied themselves with terrorist organizations, not religion," he added.
The father and son are suspected of spending almost the entire month of November in the Philippines, authorities in Manila confirmed on Tuesday, with the father entering as an "Indian national."
The two then entered the country on November 1 with Davao Province in the south as their final destination.
"Sajid Akram, 50 years old, an Indian citizen, and Naveed Akram, 24 years old, an Australian citizen, arrived in the Philippines together on November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia," immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told AFP.
"Both reported Davao as their final destination. They left the country on November 28, 2025 with a continuation flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination," he added.
English:
Networks associated with ISIS are known to have operated in the Philippines, with the latter having been reduced to weaker cells, far from the scale of influence they had during the Marawi siege in 2017.
Police also said the vehicle registered in the name of the younger man contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags associated with ISIS, a militant group designated by Australia and many other countries as a terrorist organization.
It is known that the father and son shot hundreds of people at a Jewish celebration in Bondi, before both were shot by police.
About 25 survivors were being treated in several Sydney hospitals, officials said.
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