Bondi Beach terror suspects seedy Philippines trip exposed | UK | News
The father and son duo accused of carrying out the horrific Bondi Beach massacre holed up for a month in a dingy, £11 (AU$22)-a-night, one-star hotel in the heart of a red-light district in the Philippines just weeks before the devastating attack, the Daily Mail reports.
Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, flew to the Southeast Asian country in November for a so-called “break” before unleashing the terror that claimed the lives of 15 innocent victims at a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday.
The couple’s choice of accommodation was a cramped twin room at the GV Hotel in Davao City, the country’s second-largest metropolis. Located on the island of Mindanao, the region is famous for its neon-lit massage parlors and go-go bars frequented by western sex tourists.
The hotel is surrounded by seedy businesses and touching coincidences
Directly across from the hotel is a spa called “Spring Valley” that brazenly advertises “happy hour” from 10am to 5pm. Just a stone’s throw away, the bar “Ladiestar” attracts customers with karaoke and “massage” services.
In a heartbreaking coincidence, a cocktail bar and restaurant called Bondi & Bourke, which pays homage to the iconic beach where the attack took place, is located just a short distance from the suspects’ hostel.
Suspected connection to ISIS sympathizers in nearby Islamic city
Davao City is just a five-hour drive from the Islamic city of Marawi, a hotbed of ISIS sympathizers involved in a decade-long war against the predominantly Catholic government.
Security experts suggested that Sajid and Naveed’s trip to the Philippines was aimed at receiving military-style training; this claim was vehemently denied by the troubled country’s President Marcos.
Hotel staff gave the Daily Mail access to room 315 on the third floor, the no-frills “den” where the Akrams resided during their stay, subsisting on takeaways.
The room, sparsely furnished with two single beds, an old television and an en suite bathroom, is allegedly where the men spend most of their time.
Suspects kept to themselves, avoiding interaction with staff and guests
Hotel employee Jenelyn Sayson explained that the men “arrived with a large piece of luggage and a backpack each,” and that housekeepers routinely removed fast food wrappers from their rooms.
Unlike other guests who interacted freely with staff and other tourists, the Akrams were said to keep to themselves and rarely interact with others.
As investigations continue into the men’s activities during their month-long stay in the Philippines, authorities are trying to determine their exact movements by tracking their credit card transactions and local SIM cards.
Speculation arose that the men may have used Davao as a gateway to access the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Marawi; these cities are known as a no-go zone for both tourists and locals due to ongoing violent clashes between terrorist groups and the Philippine armed forces.
Following the attack on Jews celebrating the start of Hanukkah on Sunday, Australian officers discovered two homemade ISIS flags and two bombs in Naveed’s vehicle.
While Sajid was killed in a police encounter, bricklayer Naveed, who survived and was hospitalized, now faces 59 charges, including 15 of murder and one of committing a terrorist act that investigators suspect “may have been inspired by ISIS”.
