The father and son duo accused of carrying out one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings, Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed, spent nearly the entire month of November 2025 in the Philippines, Manila’s immigration authorities have confirmed. 

Sajid, a 50-year-old Indian national, and Naveed, an Australian national, arrived in the Philippines on November 1, listing Davao in southern Mindanao as their final destination, and departed on November 28.

“Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national, and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together last November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia,” immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told the international media outlet, adding they departed on November 28.

According to Australian police, both men visited the Philippines last month, however, the reason for their trip is still under investigation. Philippine authorities are also probing the matter.

Authorities reported that the vehicle registered to Naveed contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags associated with ISIS, or Daesh, a militant group designated by Australia and many other countries as a terrorist organization.

“Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a news conference.

 “These are the alleged actions of those who have aligned themselves with a terrorist organisation, not a religion.”

Videos of Naveed preaching religious messages outside Sydney train stations in suburban areas have surfaced online. Authorities are still attempting to determine how he went down the path of violence. 

The two men were thought to be radicalized by Daesh ideology, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.

He added, “It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology. With the rise of ISIS more than a decade ago now, the world has been grappling with extremism and this hateful ideology.”

Albanese added that in 2019, Australia's intelligence agency became aware of Naveed, who was allegedly an unemployed bricklayer. 

“They interviewed him, they interviewed his family members, they interviewed people around him. He was not seen at that time as a person of interest,” he said.

The shooting, which left many injured and took 16 lives including Sajid, who was shot by police on the scene, is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism directed at the Jewish community.

The majority of the suspects' time was spent in Davao, a large urban center on the island of Mindanao that has long been a hub to Islamic state-linked networks. 

 Despite initial reports suggesting otherwise, the Philippines military stated that it was unable to promptly verify accusations that the two individuals got "military-style training" during their visit.