The Philippines on Wednesday pushed back strongly against remarks that the country may have been used as a training ground for terrorism, following revelations that the men behind Australia’s deadly Bondi Beach shooting had visited the country weeks before the attack.
Government officials said there was no evidence to support claims that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who carried out the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, received any form of militant training during their stay in the Philippines.
“(President Ferdinand Marcos) strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterisation of the Philippines as the Isis training hotspot,” presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro said during a press briefing.
She added that authorities had seen nothing to substantiate the allegations.
“No evidence has been presented to support claims that the country was used for terrorist training,” Castro said, reading from a statement issued by the National Security Council.
“There is no validated report or confirmation that individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any form of training in the Philippines,” she added.
The comments came a day after the Philippine immigration office confirmed that Akram and his son entered the country on November 1 and travelled to Davao, a city in the southern island of Mindanao. The region has long been associated with Islamist insurgencies fighting the central government.
Australian investigators are now examining whether the father-son duo may have met extremist elements during their time in the country.
However, Philippine security officials insist that the threat landscape in Mindanao has changed significantly in recent years. The military said remaining armed Muslim groups have been severely weakened since the 2017 siege of Marawi, when pro-Islamic State militants battled government forces for five months.
“We have not recorded any major terrorist operations or training activities… since the beginning of 2024,” military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Padilla said at a press briefing.
“They are fragmented, and they have no leadership,” she added.
Another senior officer, Colonel Xerxes Trinidad, said the short duration of the visit also made serious training unlikely. “Training cannot be acquired in just 30 days ... especially if you are to undergo marksmanship (training),” he told reporters.
Sajid Akram's Indian roots
Fifty-year-old Sajid Akram originally hailed from Hyderabad and moved to Australia more than two decades ago, Telangana Police said on Tuesday.
According to the police, Sajid emigrated to Australia in November 1998 in search of employment and eventually settled there permanently. While living in Australia, he married Venera Grosso, a European national, the statement added.
Despite building his life abroad, Sajid continued to hold an Indian passport, officials said.
Police also noted that his ties with India had remained limited over the years. Since leaving in 1998, Sajid had only sporadic contact with his family in Hyderabad and returned to India on just six occasions. These visits, the police said, were largely for personal and family-related reasons, including property matters and spending time with his elderly parents.
