Philippines says no evidence of ‘terrorist training’ after Bondi gunmens visit

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Sajid Akram (foreground) and his son Naveed opened fire on people at a Jewish festival at Sydneys Bondi Beach on Dec 14.

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

MANILA - The Philippines said on Dec 17 that there was no evidence that the country was being used for terrorist training, a day after it was revealed the men behind

Australia’s Bondi Beach mass shooting

“(President Ferdinand Marcos) strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterisation of the Philippines as the ISIS training hotspot,” presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro said at a press briefing,

“No evidence has been presented to support claims that the country was used for terrorist training,” she added, reading from a National Security Council statement.

“There is no validated report or confirmation that individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any form of training in the Philippines.”

On Dec 16, the country’s immigration office confirmed that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach,

entered the country on Nov 1

The island of Mindanao, where Davao is located,

has a long history of Islamist insurgencies

Australian authorities are investigating whether the two men met with extremists during the trip.

The Philippine military, however, said on Dec 17 that armed Muslim groups still operating on Mindanao had been largely degraded in the years since the siege of Marawi.