Authorities in Sydney, Australia, are continuing their investigations into the traumatic terrorist attack that occurred on Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. A peaceful Hanukkah celebration attended by hundreds of people turned into a full-blown massacre when two gunmen mercilessly opened fire at the gathering.
The suspects were later identified as a father-son duo. 50-year-old Sajid Akram was killed during a crossfire, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, was taken into immediate custody.
The attack, believed to be “motivated by ISIS ideologies,” claimed several lives and caused harm to many others. According to CBS News, the suspects had allegedly spent a considerable time in the Philippines during November.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told the press that investigators are currently examining why the father-and-son duo traveled to the Asian country in the first place.
Interestingly, both Sajid and Naveed had listed the city of Davao as the final destination of their trip. The reasons behind it are still unknown at the moment.
As per an ABC report, the suspects allegedly underwent a “military-style training” in the Philippines before unleashing the brutal attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
SYDNEY TERROR ATTACK EXPOSES TRANSNATIONAL RADICALIZATION THREATS
On December 14, 2025, two ISIS-linked attackers killed 16 people—including a 10-year-old girl and two rabbis—at a Hanukkah event near Bondi Beach, marking Australia’s deadliest terror act since 2002. The surviving… pic.twitter.com/1Inyw3CijV
— Naeem Aslam (@NaeemAslam23) December 17, 2025
However, Philippines’ Presidential spokesperson, Clair Castro, issued an official statement saying there was no validated proof of the aforementioned claims.
The statement read “There is no validated report or confirmation that individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any form of training in the Philippines. The government strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterization of the Philippines as the ISIS training hotspot.”
With the Philippines rejecting any suggestion of responsibility, questions remain about when and how the two men acquired the training needed to carry out an attack of this scale.
Nonetheless, one may note that Islamist separatists have operated in southern Philippines for many decades. Thus, their presence in the Asian country would not come across as a surprise.
Speaking to CBS News, Tom Smith, the academic director of the Royal Air Force College has commented on how people have incessantly traveled between such network groups, like that of the separatists, for ages now.
A father and son have been charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders and a terrorist act, following a deadly Hanukkah shooting at Bondi Beach.
The attack, believed to be ISIS-inspired, killed 15 and left 21 injured, prompting calls for stronger action against antisemitism… pic.twitter.com/ORZKYOhVJ4
— AnewZ (@Anewz_tv) December 17, 2025
As per Smith, the only two Islamist separatist groups operational inside the Philippines include the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front. Both have remained two of the oldest and most rebellious gangs promoting Islamist movements in the country.
Smith also shed light on the attackers who gunned down people in Sydney’s Bondi Beach. He said it is highly likely that these two accused men were more likely to have been in contact with some ex-rebels from big terrorist groups who possibly gave them impromptu knowledge of the trade.
He also clarified that there seems to be low chances that the father-son duo was trained at all inside a camp. In fact, both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front happen to have training camps, but are nowhere close to being affiliated with ISIS.
“They’re left alone to their territories. But it would be very unusual if the Bondi Beach attackers got orientated with them, because I just can’t imagine that the MILF or the MNLF would have countenanced that. So it is really unusual,” Smith noted.
