Bondi shooters holed up in davao hotel most of time
DAVAO CITY—Staff at GV Hotel here, where Bondi Beach shooters Sajid and Naveed Akram stayed for 28 days before flying to Australia, now recall the unusual demeanor of their two guests.
Sajid, 50, and his son, 24, stayed in their room most of the time, with Naveed going out only to buy food, one staff said on condition of anonymity.
There were instances when the two went out together. Once back in the hotel, Sajid was extraordinarily observant of the surroundings and would lower his head and refrain from eye contact, the other staff noted.
The Akrams would leave their room either at around 4 p.m. or 6 p.m., sometimes carrying dirty clothes for laundry. They would be back between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. with takeout food.
Throughout their stay, the Akrams only requested once to have their room cleaned. And the cleaners said they only hauled packaging from food outlets.
Who booked them?
The Akrams, who are suspected to have links to Islamic State (IS) terrorists, arrived around midnight on Nov. 1. A third party paid for their stay, initially booking them for a weeklong stay beginning Nov. 15, before rescheduling it to Nov. 1, according to hotel managers.
They extended their stay three times and checked out on Nov. 28.
On Dec. 14, they fired on people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people, in what authorities called an “IS-inspired” terror attack. Sajid was killed by a police officer.
A staff of a gun store about 100 meters away from the hotel hinted that the Akrams had visited one time, without providing other details.
Police investigators have begun piecing together information to generate a fuller picture of their activities while in Davao City. They have obtained CCTV footage from GV Hotel and the gun shop.
Maj. Catherine dela Rey, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office 11, said their investigation seeks to establish who was with them, who were the people they met, and the places they went to until they checked out of the hotel.
On Friday, President Marcos dismissed international reports portraying the Philippines as a hot spot for terrorist training.
“Years of decisive action by our authorities cannot be dismissed with unfounded allegations,” he said at the Armed Forces’ 90th anniversary ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “We will not allow deceptive narratives to distract us or weaken our resolve.” —WITH A REPORT FROM GABRYELLE DUMALAG
