Naveed (pictured) and Sajid Akram are accused of a deadly attack at a Chanukah event in Bondi. Photo / NSW Police
Naveed (pictured) and Sajid Akram are accused of a deadly attack at a Chanukah event in Bondi. Photo / NSW Police
More has been revealed about the alleged Bondi shooters’ travel to the Philippines before the terror attack.
Naveed and Sajid Akram are accused of opening fire on crowds at a Chanukah by the Sea event in Bondi on December 14, killing 15 people and injuring dozens of others.
Sajid Akramwas shot dead by police during the incident and Naveed Akram has been charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and other charges.
Speculation has swirled around a trip the pair took to the Philippines just a month before they allegedly went to Bondi to carry out the deadly attack, with the father and son spending time in Davao, a region that has struggled with Islamic extremism.
Initial reports of CCTV and accounts of hotel staff where the pair stayed have suggested they remained in their room for a considerable part of their trip, with that footage and other intelligence now in the hands of the Australian Federal Police, according to Commissioner Krissy Barrett.
Authorities are investigating the father and son's trip to the Philippines and possible Isis connections in Australia. Photo / Getty Images
“Assessment is that these individuals are alleged to have acted alone. There is no evidence to suggest that these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell or were directed,” she said on Tuesday.
“However, I want to be clear, I am not suggesting that they were there for tourism.”
The commissioner noted that this was an initial assessment and more may come to light as AFP officers are still scouring the footage.
“It’s a point in time where the AFP and our partners still have significant investigative work to undertake and it is possible that new information or evidence may be forthcoming,” she said.
Officers are also investigating whether the father and son were being supported by members of Isis while in Australia.
Barrett confirmed that an AFP analyst has been deployed to the Philippines after the attack and is supporting officers in the city as well as the Philippine National Police.
Investigators say there is no evidence the accused were part of a wider cell. Photo / Getty Images
She confirmed that the AFP still had an iron-clad dedication to investigating “those who corrupt Islam in their radical recruitment drive for hatred and fear”.
“We have gone through the sermons, line by line, sought out experts and legal advice on charging those who we believe are inciting hatred towards the Jewish community,” she said.
The Albanese Government is seeking to toughen hate speech laws and crack down on Islamic preachers spouting hatred on Australian soil, including developing a federal offence for those who seriously vilify based on race or advocate for racial supremacy.
Barrett welcomed the tightening of laws, stating it would be “helpful in terms of putting matters before the court”.
The current laws pose a “challenge” in terms of prosecuting extremist preachers, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, as an individual will only be found to be breaking the law if they incite violence rather than just espousing hatred.
“Up until now, the law of Australia has kept these two issues quite separate in the criminal world,” he said.
“What we are doing now ... [is making] sure that we can simply say what hate preachers have been saying is simply unacceptable.
“We want it to be illegal. We want it to be criminal. That’s the legislation.”
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