"What we've seen is one of them visiting a gun shop," Davao regional police spokeswoman Catherine Dela Rey said on Saturday, adding later that it was 50-year-old Sajid Akram who had been seen. One of the two alleged Bondi Beach shooters visited a gun store during their stay in the Philippines, police said on Saturday as they attempted to retrace the pair's movements. Police inquiries had also revealed that neither of the men had visited any of the city's seven gun ranges, he said. President Ferdinand Marcos has criticised media reports that he said misleadingly portrayed the Philippines "as a training hotspot for terrorism". The Philippine military has said Mindanao's remaining jihadists now number little more than 50, from a high of 1,257 in 2016.

Source: Philippine Star December 20, 2025 07:34 UTC