Philippines denies reports that Sydney shooter received training in the Philippines

Sydney [Australia], December 18: New South Wales police in Australia charged Naveed Akram, 24, with a total of 59 offenses on December 17, including 15 counts of murder and one count of terrorism related to the Sydney shooting on December 14, according to The Guardian .
Naveed and his father, Sajid Akram (50 years old), are accused of shooting at people attending a Hanukkah Jewish festival celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14th. Sajid was shot dead at the scene, while his son was critically injured and is being treated at a Sydney hospital. He regained consciousness on the evening of December 16th after a coma. Police arrived at the hospital to read the indictment. The defendant did not apply for bail and will appear in court on April 8th, 2026.
The shooting left 15 people dead and dozens injured. As of the evening of December 17, 17 people were still receiving treatment in the hospital.
Police say initial indications suggest this was a terrorist attack influenced by the Islamic State ( IS ). Police found an IS flag in the suspect's vehicle at the scene, alongside improvised explosive devices.
Australian officials also said the two gunmen, father and son, traveled to the Philippines in November. On November 1, they arrived in Davao province on Mindanao island in southern the Philippines, where Muslim opposition armed groups have been operating for many years. Philippine officials said on December 17 that there was no evidence the two received training during their time in the country, according to AFP.
"President Ferdinand Marcos firmly rejects the vague and misleading claims that the Philippines is a training hotbed for ISIS. There is no evidence to support the claim that the country is used as a training ground for terrorists," presidential spokesperson Claire Castro said, asserting that there is no evidence to support the claim that those involved in the Bondi Beach attacks were trained in the Philippines.
Colonel Xerxes Trinidad, a spokesman for the Philippine military, said that the time the father and son gunmen spent in the Philippines was insufficient for any training. Colonel Francel Padilla, another spokesman for the Philippine military, said that opposing Muslim armed groups in Mindanao had weakened and dispersed since the 2017 siege of Marawi .
Source: Thanh Nien