An important new revelation has come to light during the investigation of the Bondi terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in Australia. The Philippines government has claimed that the father and son accused of this attack had traveled to the Philippines on Indian passports a few weeks before the attack. After this revelation, the concern of Australian investigating agencies has increased further.
According to the report of Sydney Morning Herald, 24-year-old Navid Akram, accused of the attack, and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram had recently gone to the Philippines. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is now trying to find out whether this trip was for general tourism or the motive behind it was to contact some suspicious network. The investigating agencies are also investigating where both of them stayed in the Philippines, who they met and what were their activities there.
ISIS related flag
What makes this matter more serious is the fact that after the Bondi Beach attack, a flag belonging to Islamic State (ISIS) and some explosive material was recovered from the car of the accused. For this reason, the focus of the investigation is now on whether the attack is related to terrorist organizations like Islamic State East Asia (ISEA).
Direct connection with terrorist organization not confirmed
Although Australian authorities have not yet confirmed direct links to any terrorist organization, official documents acknowledge that some Australian citizens have had previous contacts with radical groups operating in South-East Asia. The Philippines has long been considered a sensitive area for extremist activities, where terrorist groups like Abu Sayyaf and ISIS-inspired organizations have been active.
Number of people of Filipino origin
The visit of Navid and Sajid Akram to Philippines is being seen as a very important link in the matter related to the terrorist attack. The investigating agencies are now conducting a thorough forensic investigation of their digital activities, bank transactions, mobile data and international contacts. Besides, cooperation is also being taken from international intelligence agencies in this entire matter. It is noteworthy that about 86 thousand people of Filipino origin live in Sydney, who are one of the largest migrant communities there. In such a situation, this investigation is being considered very important for the security of not only Australia but the entire region.
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