Jordanian arrested for visa offences after alleged Bondi attackers visited his coffee shop during Philippines stay | Bondi beach terror attack
A Jordanian national who frequently travels to Australia and the Middle East, whose coffee shop was visited by the gunmen behind the Bondi beach terror attack in December, has been arrested in the Philippines for overstaying his visa.
Officials investigating the gunmen’s month-long stay on the southern island of Mindanao claimed that 65-year-old Mohammed Odeh Saleh had traveled to Australia in the years before his arrest in Pagadian City on Monday.
The Jordanian’s business enterprise “emerged in records linked to suspects in the December 2025 terror attack in Sydney,” according to a statement released by the military unit that assisted in the arrest.
Malinche Tomarong, a spokesperson for the 1st Infantry Division, told the Guardian that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly visited a coffee shop owned by Odeh in Davao City and the duo stayed for four weeks before launching the attack.
“Our intelligence units confirmed all the places the suspects went to. One of the places they visited was a coffee shop in the Davao region owned by a Jordanian. He is one of the owners,” Tomarong said in a statement on Wednesday. he said.
A separate statement from the military unit said that “the initial investigation did not identify Odeh’s direct involvement in terrorist activities” but that he remained a “person of interest” for further review “to fully evaluate possible security concerns related to the case.”
The Akrams are accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest terror attack, killing 15 people and injuring 40 during a beachside Hanukkah celebration.
During the attack, Sajid was shot dead. Naveed faces 59 charges, including murder and terrorism offences.
The military unit said the arrest came after a “security review” of information revealed about the Akrams.
Odeh was arrested at his Pagadian City workplace on the southwestern tip of Mindanao, about an hour’s flight from Davao City, where the Akrams were staying.
He was arrested for overstaying without the proper visa and engaging in lucrative business. He received a temporary residence visa to stay in the Philippines in 2023, but that visa expired in March 2025, officials said.
“Immigration records indicate that he remained in the Philippines for approximately 10 months after his visa expired, resulting in immigration violations under Philippine law,” the military said in a statement.
They also cited immigration records indicating the man traveled between Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Malaysia between 2014 and 2025.
Australian federal police (AFP) declined to comment. New South Wales police have also been contacted for comment.
Parts of Mindanao in the country’s south have a history of interaction with international jihadist groups. In 2017, local groups laid siege to Marawi City in an attempt to establish an Islamic State province. Authorities say that terrorist activities in the region have decreased since then.
The Akrams were not known to have left Davao City during their four-week stay in the Philippines. Citing information from their counterparts in the Philippines, AFP claimed they were “acting alone” and were not part of a broader terrorist cell.
