Bondi Beach Terrorists Trained in Philippines

A senior counter-terrorism official has revealed that Sajid and Naveed Akram underwent military-style training overseas just weeks before the pair allegedly opened fire at the Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. 

The father and son travelled to the Philippines in November, a region that has been a hotspot for Islamist militants since the early 1990s, when terrorist training camps relocated from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to southern Mindanao.

Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, arrived from Sydney on November 1 and left on November 28, a Bureau of Immigration spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

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. 

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.

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. 

Both father and son pledged allegiance to IS before launching the Bondi Beach attack.

An IS-style flag was found in their car.

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, 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 rehearsing speeches ahead of a possible return to Afghanistan. 

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

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

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 'fulfill our obligations for law,' by 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 fulfill our obligation to Allah.'

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

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.

Naveed remains in hospital under police guard, while his father was shot dead by police at the scene.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15387293/naveed-akram-bondi-beach-attack-philippines.html

Bondi Beach attack: Terrorists trained in Philippines before Hanukkah massacre

Security sources say the Bondi Beach terrorists trained with Islamist terrorists in the Philippines weeks before killing 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration.

Security sources have confirmed that Sajid and Naveed Akram, the father-son terrorists who killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, had traveled to the Philippines to receive “military-style training” just weeks before the attack.

24-year-old Naveed Akram had maintained longstanding ties to figures in Australia’s pro-Islamic State (ISIS) network, including notorious jihadist preacher Wisam Haddad and convicted IS youth recruiter Youssef Uweinat.

Investigators are now examining whether the Akrams were part of a broader international jihadist network after discovering the pair had traveled to Manila in early November.

A senior counter-terrorism official said Naveed and Sajid Akram subsequently traveled to the southern Philippines, where they underwent training. The pair returned to Australia in late November, only weeks before Sunday’s massacre.

Israeli intelligence officials believe that the massacre in Sydney was carried out by a foreign terrorist cell supported by Iran.

The manner in which the attack was carried out indicates a link to characteristics identified with a unit of the terrorist organization Hezbollah - the operational arm for attacks outside Lebanon. Israel is also examining possible links to Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/419404