Sydney terrorists trained at ISIS base in the Philippines

Manila confirms that the two terrorists responsible for the Bondi Beach Chanukah massacre recently visited the Philippines. Australian authorities say the pair engaged in military training with Islamist radicals.

By World Israel News Staff

The two Australian terrorists who carried out the deadly shooting attack at a Chanukah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday recently traveled to the Philippines where they received military training from pro-ISIS Islamist radicals, Australian authorities believe.

Police say that Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, were “driven by Islamic State ideology” and are suspected of having received military-style training at an Islamist enclave in the southern Philippines a month before the attack, CNN reported.

The Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirmed on Tuesday that the pair had flown from Australia to the Philippines last month, traveling on Philippine Airlines Flight Pr2122 from Sydney to Manila on November 1.

After arriving in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the two terrorists continued on to Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao.

While more than 90% of the Philippines’ population is Christian, Mindanao is home to the bulk of the country’s Muslim minority, with roughly one-third of residents being affiliated with Islam.

The island is also home to ISIS-aligned Islamist terror groups, which have engaged local authorities and even the Philippine military in sporadic fighting in recent years.

In 2017, pro-ISIS forces seized control of the city of Marawi and deflected attempts by the government to reassert control for five months.

According to the Philippines Bureau of Immigration’s statement, Naveed and Sajid Akram remained in Mindanao until they returned to Australia on November 28.

The Philippines Armed Forces is currently probing claims that the pair trained with Islamist terrorists in Mindanao.

Naveed was investigated by Australian counterterrorism officials six years ago, in connection with the discovery of an ISIS cell planning an uprising against the Australian government.

Despite this, Naveed and his father were in possession of six legally registered firearms, which they used during Sunday’s attack.