Overview
- An Australian counter-terrorism team is examining whether Sajid and Naveed Akram met Islamist extremists during their Nov 1–28 visit to Mindanao.
- Davao police said CCTV identified 50-year-old Sajid Akram entering a gun store, with further video reviews under way to map other movements and contacts.
- Hotel staff reported the duo largely stayed in a single small room, rarely leaving for long, and police inspections of the room turned up nothing notable.
- Philippine officials say neither man visited any of Davao’s seven gun ranges and available time windows suggest they did not leave the city for training.
- Manila has rejected claims of local training and notes ISIS-linked militants are down to roughly 50 fighters, as Australia confirms 15 dead and dozens injured and says Sajid was killed and Naveed remains hospitalised under guard, with the son previously reviewed by ASIO in 2019.