Palace: Bondi Beach gunmen's prior visit to PH not a serious concern

Malacañang on Tuesday said the visit of the suspects in the mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach to the Philippines is not considered as a serious security concern in the country.

Citing the National Security Council, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the reported prior travel of those involved in the shooting incident is ''currently under validation.''

''At this time, there is no confirmed information indicating that their visit posed a security threat, and this is not considered a serious or immediate concern,'' Castro said as she read the NSC statement.

''Standard security, immigration, and counterterrorism protocols remain fully active, with coordination ongoing with Australian authorities,'' she added.

Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval earlier said 50-year-old Sajid Akram and 24-year-old Naveed Akram arrived in the Philippines on November 1 from Sydney.

According to Sandoval, Sajid Akram is an Indian national (Australian resident) while his son is an Australian national. She said both reported Davao as their final destination.

They left on November 28 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.

On December 14, gunmen opened fire at a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.

The Bondi Beach death toll had climbed to 16 after one of the gunmen was killed. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News