The Armed Forces of the Philippines said there is “no evidence of terrorist training, recruitment, or large-scale attacks” by domestic local terrorist groups since 2016, rejecting claims that suspects in the deadly Bondi Beach shooting received militant training in the country.
The statement came after reports from an Australian news outlet alleged that Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, traveled to the Philippines from Nov. 1 to 28, 2025 to receive “military-style training” before killing 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
Australian investigators earlier confirmed that the father and son stayed in Manila in early November and are examining possible international jihadist links.
Reports by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Naveed had longstanding links to Australia’s pro-Islamic State network, including connections to controversial jihadist preacher Wisam Haddad and convicted IS youth recruiter Youssef Uweinat. Through a lawyer, Haddad has “vehemently denied” any involvement in or knowledge of the Bondi Beach shootings.
The AFP said intelligence assessments did not support claims that the suspects trained with militant groups in the Philippines.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a press briefing that intelligence assessments did not support the claims, stressing that local terrorist groups in the Philippines have significantly weakened over the past decade.
The AFP said the neutralization, arrest, or surrender of senior figures of local terrorist groups has mainly contributed to their decline, leaving remaining forces unable to plan, direct, and sustain operations.
Padilla said the government also maintains strong counterterrorism efforts and community involvement programs that continuously encourage peaceful surrender and reintegration of former rebels into society, causing local terrorist groups to lose their foothold in villages that once supported their cause.
A senior counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier claimed the pair later went to the southern Philippines for militant training, a claim the AFP said was not supported by intelligence findings.
