A father-son duo accused of carrying out the deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday had travelled to the Philippines in November 2025, Philippine immigration authorities have confirmed, offering fresh clues into their movements ahead of what Australian officials now describe as an Islamic State-inspired terrorist act.
According to the Philippines Bureau of Immigration, the two suspects, Sajid Akram (50) and his son Naveed Akram (24) arrived together from Sydney on November 1 and left on November 28.
However, there are conflicting accounts over the passports used by the two suspects during their overseas travel.
While Bloomberg mentioned a bureau spokesperson as saying on Tuesday that both men travelled on Indian passports, the BBC reported that Sajid Akram was using an Indian passport, while his son Naveed travelled on an Australian passport.
The pair later returned to Australia via a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, en route to Sydney.
Australian police confirm terror angle
Meanwhile, Australian authorities formally confirmed today that the Bondi Beach shooting, which left 15 people dead during a Hanukkah celebration, was a “terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State”.
Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said the conclusion was based on evidence recovered during the investigation, including Islamic State flags found in a vehicle seized from the scene.
A vehicle removed from the scene contained improvised explosive devices, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said, confirming that the car, registered to the younger suspect, also carried “two homemade ISIS flags”.
The suspects were identified by authorities earlier. The older man was shot dead during the police response, while his son remains hospitalised.
Victims included children, elderly; dozens still hospitalised
The victims of Sunday’s attack ranged in age from just 10 to 87 years old. They had gathered at Australia’s most iconic beach for a Hanukkah event when gunfire erupted.
As of Tuesday, 25 people remained in hospitals, with 10 in critical condition. Three victims are being treated at a children’s hospital, officials said.
Among those injured was a man who was captured on video tackling and disarming one of the attackers. The footage, which has now gone viral, shows him briefly pointing the gun at the assailant before placing it on the ground.
Questions grow over security failures and gun access
Public anger and concern have intensified in Australia in the days following the massacre, particularly over how the suspects were able to plan and carry out the attack, and whether Jewish communities were adequately protected amid rising antisemitism.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the assessment of the suspects’ ideology was grounded in evidence gathered by investigators, including material recovered from the scene and the suspects’ vehicle.
“The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims,” Commissioner Barrett said. “It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally.”
It has also emerged that the older suspect legally owned six firearms. The revelation has reignited debate over gun access even in a country known for some of the world’s toughest gun laws.