Melbourne — Australian investigators who extended inquiries to the Philippines say they found no evidence that the two men accused of killing 15 people at a Hanukkah festival in Sydney were part of a broader terrorist cell, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said Tuesday.
Investigation Findings
Commissioner Barrett said the suspects, Sydney residents Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, spent most of November in Davao City in the southern Philippines and returned to Australia on a flight from Manila on Nov. 29. Two weeks later, the pair are accused of opening fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, killing 15 and wounding about 40 people.
Barrett said Philippine National Police determined the men mostly remained inside their hotel during the visit. "There is no evidence to suggest they received training or underwent logistical preparation for their alleged attack," she told reporters. Barrett added investigators have found no proof that the pair were directed by others or were part of a wider terrorist cell, though she stressed she was not suggesting their trip was purely touristic.
Allegations and Legal Status
Australian authorities allege the attack was inspired by the Islamic State group. Barrett noted that parts of the southern Philippines have in the past attracted small numbers of foreign fighters aligned with Islamic State or al-Qaida amid a long-running secessionist conflict involving minority Muslim communities in the predominantly Catholic nation.
Naveed Akram has been charged with dozens of offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. He was shot by police in the abdomen during a confrontation on Dec. 14, spent a week in hospital and has since been transferred to custody. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead at the scene.
Security Response And Public Memorials
Authorities announced an unprecedented security deployment for New Year’s Eve at Sydney Harbour: more than 2,500 officers will be on duty and many will be visibly armed with automatic rifles — a presence rarely seen on Sydney streets. The decision follows criticism that initial officers responding to the Bondi attack were armed with Glock pistols, which lacked the effective range of the rifles and shotguns used by the attackers. Two officers were among those wounded.
"These individuals are alleged to have acted alone. There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell, or were directed by others to carry out an attack," Barrett said.
"Given we’ve just had the worst terrorism event in Australia’s history inside the last month, it would be self-evidently the case that things need to change and the security needs to change," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said, while rejecting the idea that the state was permanently militarizing police.
More than a million people typically gather on the waterfront to view the world-famous fireworks centered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Officials said cutting crowd sizes could be read by extremists as a victory; Premier Minns urged people to continue public celebrations as an act of defiance against terrorism.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Bondi victims will be honored with a minute of silence at 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, and that four images of a Jewish menorah will be projected on the bridge pylons. Local authorities had initially planned a dove image with the word "peace," but changed the design after consulting representatives of the Jewish community to ensure the tribute was appropriate.
Commissioner Barrett cautioned that some investigative details remain restricted to avoid prejudicing Naveed Akram’s trial. Police and prosecutors continue to build the case while maintaining public safety measures and community outreach.
