By Mikhail Flores
DAVAO CITY, Philippines, Dec 20 (Reuters) – When the two gunmen accused of attacking a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach travelled to the Philippines last month, they kept to themselves most of the time and barely left their room, a hotel staff member said. When they did, it was almost always around 9 a.m. and lasted just a little over an hour, said the worker, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity after the hotel’s management ordered its staff not to talk to media. Police allege Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, killed 15 people on December 14 as hundreds celebrated the Jewish holiday.
Authorities say the attack, which shocked Australia and led to fears of rising antisemitism, appears to have been inspired by Islamic State. Sajid was killed at the scene while Naveed faces murder and terror charges after waking from a coma.
“They were not approachable at all. Other foreigners would typically talk to us,” the hotel staffer said by phone.
The alleged gunmen stayed at GV Hotel in Davao City on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. The hotel, in the city’s downtown, sits alongside travel agencies, remittance centres, pawnshops, a hardware store, an appliance store and a few strip clubs.
LIMITED INTERACTION WITH STAFF
GV Hotel, in a statement sent to media, confirmed the men booked through a third party and were initially scheduled to arrive on November 15, but arrived earlier on November 1.
The employee said the pair initially booked a room for seven days, but extended their stay three more times and paid in cash.
The worker said they had limited interaction with Naveed Akram, who inquired at the front desk on their second night whether the hotel sold boxes of bottled water. In another instance, Naveed asked where he could buy durian, a popular fruit in Davao. But beyond customary greetings, Naveed barely interacted with hotel staff, the worker said.
The source could not recall any interaction with Sajid Akram, the father.
“They had no visitors. They did not bring anyone else inside their room, none at all,” the worker said.
When the pair went out, Sajid brought his backpack while Naveed wore a shoulder bag. The hotel staff could not determine what the contents of the bag were and whether they brought items from outside.
PHILIPPINE PROBE UNDER WAY
Philippine authorities are still investigating what the duo did during their stay in the south. National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano told reporters on Friday they did not spend enough time out of their hotel to travel to other towns in Mindanao.
“So there is no way that they can or they had … undergone any training,” Ano said.
Ano said extremist threats in the Philippines have largely declined since the Marawi siege in 2017 in which some 165 security force members and 47 residents were killed. Only two militant groups are known to be still operating in the south, Ano said.
Abubacar Camid, who leads a mosque community near the hotel where the Akrams stayed, said there was no indication the two visited the Muslim community surrounding the mosque. Camid said they reviewed camera footage as soon as they heard about the link to Davao.
“We did not see them here. All newcomers are vetted thoroughly,” Camid said in an interview.
Davao residents said their visit to the city had put at risk efforts to rid the Philippines’ southern islands of the stigma of extremism.
“I am a bit disheartened,” said recent graduate John Edward Mier. “For how many years, Mindanao has been trying to redeem itself (and show) that the security station is okay even if there are hotspots for extremist groups.”
(Reporting by Mikhail FloresEditing by Ros Russell)
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