.png)
2 hours ago
3
One of the alleged Bondi beach shooters visited a firearms shop during his visit to the Philippines, local police have revealed as they investigate what the pair did in the weeks before the mass shooting.
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed stayed in a hotel in Davao City for four weeks before returning to Australia on 28 November, only two weeks before they allegedly killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others at a Hanukah celebration in Sydney on Sunday.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged in Australia with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder.
“We are now in the process of investigating the movements that these two suspects made while here in the Philippines,” police regional director Leon Victor Rosete told the Guardian.
The pair’s movements outside the GV hotel, where they holed up throughout their time in the country, have become the centre of the investigation.
Rosete said police were also investigating the mobile numbers they used during their stay, and the pair’s contacts.
“We are also determining their activities, their support networks. We are investigating and gathering intelligence information,” Rosete said.
“The father has shown interest in firearms. He entered a firearms shop,” Rosete said, adding that the store was located in the city.
He also referred to CCTV footage of the two in a “jog walk” that lasted about an hour around the vicinity of the hotel. Rosete said this appeared to be “physical conditioning” exercises.
“We are patching together all the information. We are now connecting the dots,” Rosete said.
Authorities are rushing to obtain CCTV footage from establishments before they delete their records. Staff at GV hotel said they override their CCTV footage after a week.
The Philippines will “ensure that there is no stone left unturned,” the national security adviser, Eduardo Año, said.
“We want to help the Australian government and at the same ensure that any possible terrorist threat in our country is eliminated,” said Año.
One hotel worker, Jenelyn Sayson, told the Guardian the Akrams initially booked a seven-night stay online but requested extensions on arrival and continued to extend their stay until checking out on 28 November, according to Sayson, a front desk staff member who served them during their stay. The two arrived carrying one big piece of luggage and a backpack, she said.
One line of investigation for officials is why the pair repeatedly extended their stay and whether they may have been waiting for something or someone to arrive.
“They might have waited for someone who never came but I don’t want to speculate,” a security official leading the investigation said.
“There are lots of speculations but we have to be evidence based,” said Año, who is in touch with Australian authorities in Canberra.
“One thing is sure: that they just stayed in Davao for the duration of their visit. Likewise, they did not visit any firing range in Davao.”
