Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

This screen grab made from UGC handout video footage courtesy of Timothy Brant-Coles shows two gunmen dressed in black firing multiple shots on a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. Australian police said two people were in custody following reports of multiple gunshots on December 14 at Sydney's famed Bondi Beach, urging the public to take shelter. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP) / NO USE AFTER DECEMBER 24, 2025 09:47:07 GMT - NO USE AFTER DECEMBER 24, 2025 09:47:07 GMT - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /  COURTESY OF TIMOTHY BRANT-COLES" - HANDOUT - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVE /

Article (news)

Zyann Ambrosio

Karen De Guzman

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1765849009278AFP__20251214__883739L__v2__HighRes__TopshotAustraliaCrime_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This screen grab made from UGC handout video footage courtesy of Timothy Brant-Coles shows two gunmen dressed in black firing multiple shots on a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. Australian police said two people were in custody following reports of multiple gunshots on December 14 at Sydney&#x27;s famed Bondi Beach, urging the public to take shelter. (Photo by Handout/various sources/AFP)</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(4th UPDATE) </strong>— The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday confirmed that the gunmen involved in the fatal shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia stayed in the Philippines prior to the incident.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/16/australia-pm-says-islamic-state-ideology-drove-bondi-beach-shooters-0949">Australia PM says &#x27;Islamic State ideology&#x27; drove Bondi Beach shooters</a></div><p>Australian media named the shooters as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram.</p><p>In a statement, the BI said Sajid, 50, and Naveed, 24, arrived in the Philippines together last November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia.</p><p>&quot;Both reported Davao as their final destination,&quot; the BI said.</p><p>Based on BI records, the two left the country on November 28, 2025 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.</p><p>The father-and-son team toting long-barrelled guns on Monday shot and killed 15 people including a 10-year-old girl at Sydney&#x27;s Bondi Beach.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/12/15/gunmen-kill-11-at-jewish-festival-on-australia-s-bondi-beach-0107">Father and son gunmen kill 15 at Jewish festival on Australia&#x27;s Bondi Beach</a></div><p>The father was killed in a shootout with officers, while the son is in a critical condition in hospital, under police guard.</p><p>Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday the duo appeared to be driven by &quot;Islamic State ideology.&quot;</p><p>Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, said the father arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998 and had become a permanent resident. The son was an Australia-born citizen. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LINK TO TERROR GROUPS IN PH?</strong></div><div><br/></div><p><strong></strong>The father-and-son&#x27;s possible connections to terrorist groups or activities in the Philippines remained unverified, the military said.</p><p>“At this time, there is no validated information confirming such claims,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told ABS-CBN News in a text message.</p><p>Padilla added that matters involving the travel of foreign nationals and potential terrorist links are being closely coordinated through appropriate government agencies.  </p><p>The AFP assured the public that it “continues to work with the broader security sector to maintain vigilance against any form of terrorism and remains fully committed to supporting civilian authorities in safeguarding national security, in accordance with the Constitution and existing laws.”  </p><p>The National Security Council (NSC) also said validation remains ongoing.</p><p>“The National Security Council is aware of the reports that the individuals involved in the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia had previously travelled to the Philippines, and these are currently under validation,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters, quoting a statement from the NSC.</p><p>“At this time, there is no confirmed information indicating that their visit posed a security threat and this is not considered a serious or immediate concern,” she added. </p><div><strong></strong><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;HEIGHTENED ALERT&#x27; REMAINS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Despite the overseas incident, acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stressed that authorities have not detected any major security threats in the country.</p><p>“Walang pagbabanta sa seguridad na aming namo-monitor pero makakaasa ang publiko na naka-alerto ang kapulisan upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng bawat isa,” he said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/12/15/dfa-no-confirmed-filipino-casualties-in-bondi-beach-shooting-1011">DFA: No confirmed Filipino casualties in Bondi Beach shooting</a></div><p>The PNP assured that it remains on heightened alert to prevent any untoward incidents and to ensure public safety, particularly in public areas, major thoroughfares, and key venues where holiday events and large gatherings are expected.</p><p>“The Philippine National Police is maintaining heightened vigilance to deter provocateurs and prevent any security threat,” Nartatez said.</p><p>“I have directed our commanders to deploy sufficient number of personnel to ensure visible police presence in crowded areas to provide security reassurance to the public while discouraging potential troublemakers,” he added.</p><p>The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier reported that no Filipinos have been affected by the shooting incident in Australia.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NBI BACKTRACKS ACTIVITIES OF BONDI BEACH SHOOTING SUSPECTS IN PH</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed it is actively coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police to backtrack the movements of the two suspects in the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia during their stay in the Philippines.</p><p>NBI spokesperson Atty. Palmer Mallari said the suspects arrived November 1 and left November 28, flying from Sydney and back to Sydney, and are believed to have traveled to Davao and nearby localities, including Bangahan.</p><p>“The NBI is constantly in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Mallari said, adding that regional and district offices in the south were tasked to trace the suspects’ activities.</p><p>On reports claiming the suspects may have studied terrorism in the country, Mallari said authorities are not ruling out the possibility, but stressed it remains unconfirmed.</p><p>“We are entertaining that possibility but we cannot confirm that,” he said</p><p>“November 1 to November 28 is such a long time. That’s almost a month. Maraming puwedeng mangyari.”</p><p>Mallari explained the backtracking aims to determine where the suspects stayed, who they met, and what they did, noting that any prolonged stay in a locality could indicate “may ginawang importante.”</p><p>“Eventually we will be able to appropriately act based on what we will be able to collect,” he said, citing continued coordination with BI, AFP, and PNP. <strong>— With reports from Agence France-Presse and Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News</strong> </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS: </strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMlPJLpRiL8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dMhFp37Q4Q8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday confirmed that the gunmen involved in the fatal shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia stayed in the Philippines prior to the incident.</p>

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday confirmed that the gunmen involved in the fatal shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia stayed in the Philippines prior to the incident.

Bondi Beach shooters stayed in PH prior to attack, BI confirms

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Bondi Beach shooters stayed in PH prior to attack, BI confirms

Zyann Ambrosio,

Karen De Guzman,

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 16, 2025 09:32 AM PHT

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Updated December 16, 2025 04:50 PM PHT

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