Arya News - In a statement read by Palace press officer Claire Castro during a briefing, the NSC said that as of Monday, “there is no confirmed information indicating that their visit posed a security threat, and this is not considered a serious or immediate concern.”
MANILA – The National Security Council (NSC) has downplayed security concerns after authorities confirmed that the father-and-son gunmen behind the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach in Australia stayed in the Philippines for almost a month before flying to Australia.
In a statement read by Palace press officer Claire Castro during a briefing, the NSC said that as of Monday, “there is no confirmed information indicating that their visit posed a security threat, and this is not considered a serious or immediate concern.”
“Standard security, immigration, and counterterrorism protocols remain fully active, with coordination ongoing with Australian authorities,” she added.
READ: Bondi Beach suspects spent nearly a month in PH before attack – BI
The statement came as Australian news outlets described the Philippines as “a training ground for terrorism” and a “terror hotspot.”
Malacañang has yet to confirm if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or any high-ranking Philippine government officials have discussed the issue with their Australian counterparts.
It has also not confirmed if the Philippines has already shared intelligence information with Australia.
Castro said the NSC is still verifying the specific activities the two shooters conducted during their stay in the country.
According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, entered the Philippines on Nov. 1.
READ: Bondi Beach attack: 10-year-old girl, Holocaust survivors among dead
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Akram entered the Philippines as an Indian national, while Naveed held an Australian passport.
“Both reported Davao as their final destination. They left the country on Nov. 28, 2025, on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination,” Sandoval said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that the two men had likely been radicalized by “Islamic State ideology.”
The duo killed 15 people and wounded dozens more in a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday at Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most famous destinations.
The victims included a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor, and a local rabbi.
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