The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is looking into the activities in the Philippines of two gunmen involved in the deadly shootings at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari on Tuesday said the NBI, through its Counter Terrorism Division (CTD), is investigating the matter on its own initiative without waiting for a request from Australian authorities.
The NBI-CTD is coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and NBI regional and district offices to trace the movements of the two suspects, who reportedly traveled to the Philippines from 1 to 28 November, primarily in Davao, and possibly in nearby areas.
The suspects have been identified as Indian national Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Indian-Australian national Naveed Akram, 24. BI records show they arrived together from Sydney on 1 November and left for Sydney on 28 November.
Reports indicate Sajid Akram was killed during the attack, while his son was hospitalized. The Bondi Beach shootings occurred on 14 December during a Jewish Hanukkah event and resulted in 16 fatalities, including one of the suspects.
Australian authorities reportedly found two flags of the militant group Islamic State inside the gunmen’s vehicle.