Philippine hotel says Bondi Beach suspects spent every night in their room

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Authorities investigating the Bondi Beach violent attack person been looking into a month-long travel taken by the suspects, begetter and lad Sajid and Naveed Akram, to the Philippines, wherever there's been a decades-long Islamist insurgency successful the southbound of the country.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this week that the attack was inspired by ISIS, and determination is an ISIS-affiliated militant radical operating successful a distant country of the Philippines.

But a receptionist astatine a edifice successful Davao City said the attackers ne'er near their country for much than a day.

Jojo, who works astatine at the GV Hotel successful Davao, told CBS News connected Thursday that Sajid and Naveed Akram, the elder of whom was killed during the Sunday attack, checked into the edifice connected Nov. 1 and past near connected Nov. 28.

Scenes From Davao Where Bondi Shooting Suspects Travelled In November A presumption of 1 of a country astatine the GV Hotel, wherever Sajid and Naveed Akram, suspects successful the deadly Bondi Beach panic attack, stayed during astir of November, arsenic seen connected Dec. 18, 2025, successful Davao City, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty

He said they extended their enactment week by week and paid successful cash, and that they would spell retired during the day, but instrumentality to the edifice each night, often bringing nutrient backmost to devour successful their room.

He said determination was thing peculiarly suspicious astir the begetter and son, who had 1 portion of luggage and 1 backpack betwixt them.

Australian nationalist broadcaster ABC antecedently reported that the Bondi Beach attackers had undergone "military-style training" successful the Philippines, citing information sources.

But connected Wednesday, Philippine statesmanlike spokesperson Claire Castro, quoting a National Security Council statement, said determination was "no validated study oregon confirmation that individuals progressive successful the Bondi Beach incidental received immoderate signifier of grooming successful the Philippines," according to French quality bureau AFP. 

Scenes From Davao Where Bondi Shooting Suspects Travelled In November A presumption of the GV Hotel, wherever Sajid and Naveed Akram, suspects successful the Bondi Beach panic attack, stayed during November, arsenic seen connected Dec. 18, 2025, successful Davao City, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty

The authorities "strongly rejects the sweeping connection and the misleading characterization of the Philippines arsenic the ISIS grooming hotspot," Castro said.

There has been an Islamist insurgency successful the confederate Philippines for galore years, but the 2 main militant groups progressive are not affiliated with ISIS, Tom Smith, the world manager of the Royal Air Force College, who studies information and coercion successful the Philippines and Southeast Asia, told CBS News earlier this week.

There is simply a comparatively tiny splinter radical called Abu Sayyaf based connected a distant archipelago that is affiliated with ISIS, but Smith said it would beryllium precise hard for foreigners to person weapons grooming from the group.

"They would instrumentality retired similar a sore thumb," Smith said. "When I spell there, you know, I'm determination with subject support. I person a Ph.D. successful the area, and adjacent I instrumentality retired similar a sore thumb."

He said determination are "plenty of equipped radical successful Mindanao, successful the Philippines, for them to spell and practice, you know, firing rifles and what person you. But it's a agelong mode to accidental that that equals a violent camp."

Australian and Indian authorities person confirmed that Sajid Akram, 50, who was killed during the attack, traveled connected an India passport, portion his son, calved successful Australia, utilized an Australian passport.

Naveed Akram, 24, was wounded during the attack, but woke up from a coma earlier this week and was rapidly charged with 59 idiosyncratic offenses, including 15 execution charges.

Australia mourns Bondi Beach massacre victims

Australia mourns Bondi Beach massacre victims arsenic questions linger astir suspects' Philippines travel 07:10

Australia mourns Bondi Beach massacre victims arsenic questions linger astir suspects' Philippines travel

(07:10)

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