DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 December)– Local police authorities are investigating reports that the two gunmen behind the terror attack in Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia had traveled to Davao City before the December 14 mass shooting, a police regional spokesperson said. “We are still investigating that information,” said Police Major Catherine dela Rey of the Police Regional Office-11 in a statement sent via Facebook messenger. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed on Tuesday, December 16 that the two Bondi shooters, identified as Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian national, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, an Indian-Australian, arrived in the country last November 1 from Sydney. The two had declared Davao as their final destination. The BI said the two eventually left Davao for Sydney via Manila last November 28. Quoting Australian police authorities, Australian media reports say the purpose of the trip is still under investigation and it remains unclear if the father and son contacted any terrorist group or if they received training in the country. MindaNews asked dela Rey about the current security situation in the city and whether any threats had been monitored. “Davao is generally peaceful, and there are no direct threats,” dela Rey said. The father and son had fired upon hundreds of people at a Jewish festival at the popular Bondi Beach frequented by tourists and locals, killing 15. Both were later shot by police, leaving the father dead. The incident was Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996 when 35 people were killed in Tasmania in what came to be known as the Port Arthur Massacre. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
