Why did the perpetrators of the Sydney terrorist attack travel to the Philippines?
According to a spokesman for the Philippine Immigration Department, the two perpetrators of the incident, Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian citizen and resident of Australia, and Navid Akram, 24, an Australian citizen, were a father and son who traveled on Philippine Airlines flight PR 212 from Sydney to Manila and from there to Davao on November 10, using Australian passports.
The pair returned to Sydney on the same flight number (PR 212) on Friday, December 27, a few weeks before the attack that killed 15 people. The incident, which occurred on Sunday (December 11), was the worst mass shooting in Australia in 30 years and is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
It is not yet clear what activities the perpetrators of the Sydney terrorist attack have carried out in the Philippines or whether they have traveled elsewhere after landing in Davao, a city in Mindanao, an area where terrorist groups, including branches of ISIS, have been active.
The Philippine military is investigating the report, and its spokesman said in a statement that it is fully cooperating with relevant agencies on issues related to the movement of foreign nationals and their links to terrorist groups.
The news agency had previously reported, citing Australian police, that the perpetrators of the crime had traveled to the Philippines. According to initial investigations by Australian police, the perpetrators were influenced by the teachings of ISIS, and two homemade flags of the terrorist group were found in one of their vehicles.