A high-ranking counter-terrorism official has disclosed that Sajid and Naveed Akram received military-style training abroad just weeks before they allegedly carried out a shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach. The father-son duo embarked on a trip to the Philippines this past November, a region known for its history of Islamist militancy dating back to the early 1990s. It was during this period that terrorist training operations moved from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to southern Mindanao.

According to a Bureau of Immigration spokesperson, the two men, Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, departed from Sydney on November 1 and returned on November 28. Sajid traveled using an Indian passport, while Naveed carried an Australian one.

The southern Philippines has long been under the influence of Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group infamous for its violent activities, including bombings, assassinations, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom. This area’s turbulent history and ongoing conflict have made it a breeding ground for such militant activities, providing a backdrop for the Akrams’ alleged training.

Sajid travelled on an Indian passport while Naveed used his Australian passport. 

The southern Philippines has long been controlled by Abu Sayyaf, a violent group known for bombings, assassinations, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom.

For years, it was also a main training base for Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiah, the group behind the Bali bombings that killed 202 people including 88 Australians.

In January, the Australian government provided Philippine law enforcement agencies in Mindanao with new facilities, including a bomb data centre and forensic explosives laboratory to combat terrorism and improve security.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told the ABC that investigators are now probing the Akrams’ ties to an international jihadist network after discovering the pair flew from Davao to Manila, before flying back to Sydney on November 28. 

Police allege Naveed (left) and his father Sajid (right) stood on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to Bondi Pavilion on Sunday night, firing shots into a crowd of people celebrating the first day of Hanukkah on the iconic beach

The wreckage of the Sari nightclub in Kuta after the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 88 Aussies

Earlier reports revealed Naveed Akram, 24, had longstanding links to members of Australia’s pro-Islamic State (IS) network, including notorious jihadist spiritual leader Wisam Haddad and convicted IS youth recruiter Youssef Uweinat.

Through a lawyer, Mr Haddad told the ABC he ‘vehemently denies any knowledge of or involvement in the shootings that took place at Bondi Beach’.

It emerged on Monday that Naveed had previously been on the radar of Australia’s national spy agency ASIO following the arrest of a Sydney-based Islamic State terrorist in July 2019. 

A six-month investigation at the time found no evidence Akram had been radicalised. But investigators now suspect both father and son pledged allegiance to IS before launching the deadly attack, the ABC reports. 

A senior JCTT official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed an IS-style flag was found in their car, amid speculation a ‘black flag’ was discovered nearby.

The official said ASIO’s interest in Naveed dates back to 2019, when police foiled an IS terror plot in Sydney. 

The agency began monitoring Naveed after the July 2019 arrest of Isaak El Matari, identified as an IS operative and self-declared Australian commander of the group.

El Matari is serving seven years in prison after planning an insurgency, attempting to recruit followers, acquire firearms, and even rehearsing speeches ahead of possible travel to Afghanistan. 

He returned to Australia from Lebanon in 2018 after serving nine months in prison overseas for attempting to join IS.

Sources say Naveed maintained close connections with El Matari and other members of the IS cell, several of whom have since been convicted of terrorism offences.

ASIO began monitoring Naveed Akram in July 2019 following the arrest of Isaak El Matari (pictured), an IS operative

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has defended ASIO’s investigation at the time, stating ‘our agencies could not have done more’ on Tuesday morning. 

He said ASIO found Naveed had shown no violent ideologies at the time. 

‘What happened back then was there were people who did, who were well and truly within the sights and being watched by our security intelligence and enforcement agencies for any of those anyone they associate with,’ he told Channel 9’s Sunrise. 

‘Back then, he didn’t. In the years that’s followed, that’s changed.’

Meanwhile, disturbing footage has emerged showing a 17-year-old Naveed preaching radical Islam on the streets of Sydney six years ago. 

The teenager is seen in the video fervently delivering a sermon on the importance of strict religious observance, warning passersby that their actions would determine their fate on the Day of Judgement.

In the footage, Akram urges people to ‘always pray’ and to ‘fulfil our obligations for law,’ implying strict adherence to radical interpretations of Islamic law. 

‘Whether it be raining, hailing or clear sky, Allah will reward you for whatever action you do in his course. This will save you on the Day of Judgement.

‘So remember to always pray and fulfil our obligation to Allah.’

Footage has emerged of alleged Bondi shooter Naveed Akram (pictured) preaching Islam on the streets of Sydney in 2017

Police allege Naveed and his father Sajid stood on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to Bondi Pavilion on Sunday night, firing shots into a crowd of people celebrating the first day of Hanukkah on the iconic beach. 

Fifteen innocent people were killed during what is now Australia’s second-worst mass shooting since Port Arthur in 1996. 

Naveed remains in hospital under police guard and is likely to face criminal charges, while his father was shot dead by police at the scene.