Chilling CCTV Footage Emerges of Naveed Akram Walking Down Davao Street Just Weeks Before Australian Attack
- Newly obtained CCTV footage shows Naveed Akram walking down a street in Davao City, Philippines, in mid-November, just weeks before the Bondi Beach attack.
- The 24-year-old, who carried out the attack with his father Sajid, was identified by hotel staff who confirmed he stayed at the GV Hotel from November 1 to November 28.
- The Philippine and Australian police are investigating how the pair spent their time in the Philippines, amid claims they underwent “military-style training” in the region.
In a stunning breakthrough, a chilling CCTV footage has emerged of Naveed Akram, the 24-year-old Bondi Beach gunman, walking down a street in Davao City, Philippines, just weeks before the devastating attack in Australia.
The exclusive footage, obtained by the ABC, shows Akram walking down a Davao street on November 11, around 5 am local time, with his head down and eyes fixed on his phone. Hotel staff who viewed the footage confirmed it was Akram, citing his distinctive haircut, facial hair, and gait.
The footage was recorded near the GV Hotel, where Akram and his father Sajid stayed for four weeks in November. Hotel logs show Akram checked in on November 1 and checked out on November 28, making weekly payments during his stay.
Hotel staff revealed that the pair mostly stayed in their rooms, leaving only for short periods of one or two hours a day. The CCTV footage was recorded by a neighbouring business during the overnight shift when the hotel had only one staff member on duty.
The Philippine and Australian police are still investigating how the pair spent their time in the Philippines, amid claims they underwent “military-style training” in the region. A senior counter-terrorism official earlier this week alleged that the pair received such training in November.
Mindanao, where Davao City is located, has long struggled with Islamic militancy and has been described as a “hotspot” for violent extremism. However, the country’s national security adviser, Eduardo Ano, has rejected claims that Mindanao is a hotspot for Islamic State ideology, stating that there is no evidence to support such claims.
The CCTV footage raises more questions about how Naveed and Sajid spent their time in the Philippines and what motivated them to carry out the attack at Bondi Beach.