Authorities in the Philippines provided an update on their investigation into the movements of the accused Bondi Beach gunmen during their weeks-long trip to the country.
The father-and-son duo – currently accused of carrying out a deadly attack at a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia this week – allegedly traveled to Davao City during their four-week visit to the Philippines, per reports. This follows a recent confirmation by Philippine authorities that the pair spent nearly the entire month of November in the country.
Philippine police and hotel staff stated the father and son rarely left their hotel room except for an hour or so at a time. The outlet added both parties noted the accused gunmen never interacted with other guests or had visitors.
Speculation arose that the father and son traveled to the Philippines to receive training from groups believed to operate in the country, but authorities have pushed back against this claim.
On Tuesday, the Philippines Bureau of Investigation revealed the two accused gunmen arrived in the country on Nov. 1 aboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR212 from Sydney to Manila before heading to Davao. They left the Philippines on Nov. 28, just weeks before allegedly carrying out the Bondi Beach attack.
Davao City is located on Mindanao island, which has been under a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” advisory since May. However, the U.S. State Department said Davao City, along with a few other locations, is an exception to the advisory.
“Terrorist and armed groups in Mindanao have historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom, in addition to bombings and other attacks. These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, as well as civilians, local government entities, and security forces,” the State Department’s advisory reads.
In 2017, extremist groups stormed Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur province in the Muslim-majority Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao. Reuters reported the Marawi siege displaced around 350,000 residents and left over 1,100 dead, most of whom were militants.
The city is now under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory, with the State Department warning: “civilians face risk of death or injury from ongoing clashes between terrorist group remnants and Philippine security forces in Marawi.”
ABC News noted that while the influence and strength of these groups have declined in recent years, the Philippine military has had infrequent clashes with their remnants.
The attack unfolded on Sunday when gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens. The older gunman, the younger one’s father, died at the scene.
On Wednesday, New South Wales Police announced 59 charges against the 24-year-old surviving suspected gunman, including “commit terrorist act,” 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of “cause wounding/grievous bodily harm to person with intent to murder,” “discharge firearm etc intend cause grievous bodily harm,” “cause public display of prohibited terrorist org symbol” and “place explosive in/near building with intent to cause harm.”
NSW Police said the alleged gunman remains hospitalized and is under police guard.