The father and son behind one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings spent nearly the entire month of November in the Philippines, Manila’s immigration department confirmed on Tuesday, with the father entering the country as an Indian national.  Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who allegedly killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, arrived on November 1 with the southern province of Davao listed as their final destination. 

“Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national, and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together last November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia,” immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told a foreign media outlet, adding they departed on November 28.  Australian police said on Tuesday both men had travelled to the Philippines last month and the purpose of the trip is under investigation. Philippines police have said they are investigating the matter. 

Islamic State-linked networks are known to operate in the Philippines and have wielded some influence in the south of the country. They have been reduced to weakened cells operating in the southern Mindanao island in recent years, far from the scale of influence they wielded during the 2017 Marawi siege.  “Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a news conference.

“These are the alleged actions of those who have aligned themselves with a terrorist organisation, not a religion.” Police also said the vehicle which is registered to the younger male contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags associated with ISIS, or Islamic State, a militant group designated by Australia and many other countries as a terrorist organisation. The father and son allegedly fired upon hundreds of people at the festival during a roughly 10-minute killing spree at one of Australia’s top tourist destinations, forcing people to flee and take shelter before both were shot by police. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)