MANILA — A father and son accused in a deadly mass shooting in Australia recently spent several weeks at a hotel in Davao City, a bustling urban center in the southern Philippines. The GV Hotel confirmed that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram had stayed at the budget-friendly accommodation throughout November, paying in cash and generally keeping to themselves, stepping outside only briefly. This information comes to light as Australian authorities investigate the pair’s activities leading up to their alleged attack, which is believed to have been inspired by the Islamic State.
The Davao region, home to nearly 2 million people, has a complicated history with conflict and extremism, though the presence of groups linked to Islamic State has significantly diminished over the years. There is skepticism surrounding claims made by an Australian counterterrorism official that the Akram duo received military-style training while in the Philippines; Philippine officials have labeled these assertions as misleading. Despite the troubling backgrounds, experts remain doubtful about the current capabilities of any militant organizations to conduct such training.
Australian authorities allege that the Akram men were motivated by Islamic State ideology, with extremist flags reportedly discovered at the site of the violent incident that resulted in at least 15 fatalities at Bondi Beach. Naveed Akram, now recovering in a Sydney hospital under police supervision, faces 59 charges, including committing a terrorist act, while his father, Sajid, was fatally shot by police after they opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration.
National and local police have actively engaged with the GV Hotel as part of their investigation, highlighting a pressing need to uncover any connections the Akrams may have formed during their time in Davao. Both the Philippine government and scholars stress that, despite some ongoing threats in the region, terrorist activity is on a downward trend, given recent peace initiatives and military efforts that have weakened local extremist groups.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has dismissed suggestions that the nation serves as an ‘ISIS training hot spot,’ emphasizing that no substantiated evidence supports such claims. The peak of Islamic State-aligned militancy in the Philippines took place during the catastrophic Marawi siege in 2017. Following this, the strength of these groups has waned significantly, with most now operating in a fragmented manner.
In a year that saw the Philippines drop considerably on the Global Terrorism Index, transitioning from 9th place in 2019 to 20th place in 2023, experts are hopeful that ongoing peacebuilding efforts can foster stability in previously conflict-ridden areas. Despite the alarming events, the decline of terrorist threats in the country suggests a possible transition towards safety and renewed tourism efforts in the region, indicating a positive trajectory for the future.