Before the horrific December attack in Sydney’s Archer Park, brothers Sajid and Naveed Akram spent a perplexing month in the southern Philippines. Their activities there are now at the heart of an international investigation, trying to piece together why they chose Mindanao, an island with a history of Islamic extremism, for their pre-attack stay.
For 27 days in November, the father and son reportedly holed up in a budget hotel in Davao City. Hotel staff claim they rarely left their cramped room, hardly bigger or better equipped than a jail cell. But other clues paint a different picture, raising more questions than answers.
Investigators have explored fleeting glimpses: A visit to a popular beach resort, a quick stop at a gun shop where Sajid browsed protective vests, and even a mosque whose leaders provided CCTV but couldn’t recall seeing the pair. Each lead offered fragments, not solid answers.
The most intriguing piece of evidence emerged from a phone “ping” – placing one of the gunmen near M’lang, a region with past links to Islamic State-inspired groups. This suggests a journey far beyond Davao City, into areas where remnants of militant networks are thought to linger. Philippine officials, however, downplay the significance, asserting that a “mere visit doesn’t support allegations of terrorist training.”
Yet, the question remains: If it wasn’t training, what were they doing confined for so long in a basic hotel, only to potentially venture into a volatile region? Was it a last-minute connection, or a deliberate attempt to conceal their true intentions?
With Sajid killed in the attack, Naveed, now charged with murder, holds the key. The slow and painstaking investigation in the Philippines continues, hoping to unlock the secrets of their mysterious month, and perhaps, the full motive behind the Bondi tragedy.
