There is no confirmation that the father-and-son gunmen who killed 15 people in Sydney’s Bondi Beach received “military-style training” in southern Philippines before the Dec. 14 attack, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said on Wednesday.
“No evidence supports such a claim at present,” Año, a former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a statement. “A mere visit does not support allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have allowed for any meaningful or structured training.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Año told CoverStory that the Philippines is “validating and investigating” reports that Sajid and Naveed Akram had undergone training in Mindanao. “It is true they were here from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28, but there is no indication that they underwent military-style training before returning to Sydney,” he said, adding that “investigation is still ongoing in coordination with the Australian government.”
Francisco Lara, the executive director of the peacebuilding and development organization Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), told CoverStory it is doubtful that the Akrams had undergone military training given how the Bondi attack was carried out. He said it was not reflective of how trained militants work.
Australia’s national public broadcaster, ABC News, reported that Sajid and Naveed Akram, 50 and 24 years old, respectively, received “military-style training” in southern Philippines before returning to Australia. It also reported that Naveed Akram has longstanding connections with Australia’s pro-Islamic State (IS) network.
On Tuesday, the Bureau of Immigration through its spokesperson Dana Sandoval confirmed that the two men arrived in the Philippines last Nov. 1, declaring Davao as their destination.
Sandoval said Sajid Akram is an Indian national and Australian resident, and his son is an Australian national. They left Davao for Manila on Nov. 28, with Sydney as their final destination, she said.
The father was shot dead by police at the scene, a Jewish gathering celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Naveed Akram, critically injured and in hospital, has been charged by police with, among others, 15 counts of murder for what Australian authorities called “an act of terrorism.”
The attack, which counted a 10-year-old child, a rabbi, and a survivor of the Holocaust among those killed, is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly three decades.
In a statement read by Malacañang press officer Claire Castro at a news briefing on Tuesday, the National Security Council (NSC) said that “at this time, there is no confirmed information indicating that [the Akrams’] visit posed a security threat, and this is not considered a serious or immediate concern.”
“Standard security, immigration and counterterrorism protocols remain fully active with coordination ongoing with Australian authorities,” the NSC said.
More important questions
The CCAA’s Lara told CoverStory in a phone interview that “it seems unlikely that [the Akrams] received military training here.”
“The more important questions are who they met and why they were here. Where did they go after Davao?” said the retired professor of the University of the Philippines who authored the book “Insurgents, Clans, and States: Political Legitimacy and Resurgent Conflict in Muslim Mindanao.”
Lara said the Akrams might have undergone training in the making of explosives or engaged in other forms of coordination.
“So. the question really that should be answered is ‘Who did they meet?’ rather than ‘Where did they train?’ Why did they go there?” he said, adding:
“Or more likely, they got a blessing. What do I mean? Maybe they talked to whoever is the current emir of the Daulah Islamiyah for the Philippines or Southeast Asia. That is also possible.”
Lara warned of “a resurgence in the mainland,” referring to violent extremism in Mindanao, particularly in the Lanao corridor. He said the Akrams likely went to the Lanao corridor and Central Mindanao, or in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.
From high to low
On Wednesday, the AFP said in a statement that “terrorism threat levels in several areas of Western and Central Mindanao have shifted from high to low.”
“While global extremist networks continue to exploit cyberspace, there is no indication of imminent domestic terrorist threats at this time. Government forces remain vigilant and committed to sustaining peace, security, and development nationwide,” it said.
At the global level, the AFP said, it remains engaged in information-sharing and regular coordination with government and international partners to support early awareness and timely responses.
It pointed out the need for sustained international collaboration, saying that in certain regions such as South Asia, the Sahel, and Central Africa, “Islamic State-linked elements continue to exploit local conditions and grievances to attract followers.”
According to Lara, “one thing that this incident revealed is that all this talk, that the threat of violent extremism has been addressed, is not accurate.”
“Yes, there has been a dramatic reduction since the war in Marawi, such that it is very difficult to consider that they would launch a similar attack at the scale of Marawi. But that doesn’t mean that they are totally out,” Lara said.
“They are down, but they are not out,” he said. “They are still there and they are currently regrouping. That is the status now.”
In his statement, Año said media reports describing Mindanao as “a hotspot for violent extremism or Islamic State ideology” are “outdated and misleading.”
He pointed out that since the siege of Marawi City in Mindanao in 2017, security forces have “significantly degraded” IS-affiliated groups in the country. He said these groups “have been fragmented, deprived of leadership, and operationally degraded.”
“As a result,” Año said, “there have been no recorded terrorist training activities or significant operations by IS-affiliated groups since 2017.”
He emphasized the importance of evidence-based reporting and responsible public discourse, and said the Philippine government maintains “a vigilant, intelligence-driven counterterrorism program and works closely with international partners to ensure that the Philippine territory is not used for terrorism purposes.”
The AFP also said in a statement on Tuesday that it “continues to work with the broader security sector to maintain vigilance against any form of terrorism and remains fully committed to supporting civilian authorities in safeguarding national security in accordance with the Constitution and existing laws.”
Maute Group
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack on the Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach appeared to have been “motivated by Islamic State ideology.”
In May 2017, the homegrown Maute Group launched a major assault on Marawi City. During the siege, the Mautes seized large parts of the city and raised IS flags, prompting then President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law across Mindanao.
Duterte declared Marawi “liberated from the influence of terrorists” on Oct. 17 after five months of intense fighting that left much of Marawi destroyed. Martial law was lifted only in 2019.
