THE Police Regional Office–Davao Region (PRO-Davao) said it is coordinating with authorities in Cotabato province after mobile phone signals linked to the gunmen in the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia were detected in the area.
PMaj. Catherine Dela Rey, spokesperson of PRO-Davao, said their investigation showed that phone signals from the mobile phones of 50-year-old Sajid Akram and 24-year-old Naveed Akram were detected in Cotabato province. Authorities are now coordinating with their Cotabato counterparts to determine whether the two actually reached the area.
“Gina-validate pa pud namo didtoa, dugay man gyud mag-trace gyud, dili siya basta-basta and then like sa mga CCTV, ang uban na-erase na so mao na ongoing pa gihapon amoang backtracking,” Dela Rey said during a media interview on Monday, January 5, 2025.
(We are still validating it there as well. Tracing really takes time; it’s not something that can be done easily. And with the CCTV footage, some of it has already been erased, so our backtracking is still ongoing.)
She said PRO-Davao is awaiting a response from intelligence units in Cotabato province to verify whether the two indeed went there or if the signal detection was merely a technological glitch.
When asked when the phone signals specifically appeared in Cotabato, Dela Rey said she could not disclose the exact time and date.
Dela Rey also denied reports that the two purchased a firearm from a gun shop in Davao City, clarifying that they only visited the establishment. She said personnel from the gun shop showed investigators CCTV footage of the two during their visit.
She further clarified that authorities have not yet validated whether the two visited Panabo City, noting that if they had, there would likely have been photos or witnesses similar to those documented during their stay in Davao City.
Did not train in Davao
Dela Rey stressed that the two did not undergo any form of training in Davao City, despite reports claiming they had military-style training during their stay.
“Kay mao man gyud na ginaisip nila na basin nag-train diri, negative, walay training area sa Davao, wala sila nag-training,” she said.
(That’s because that’s what they’re really thinking — that maybe they trained here. But that’s negative; there is no training area in Davao, and they did not undergo training.)
She added that investigators coordinated with firing ranges in the area and found no records or CCTV footage indicating that the two engaged in firearms practice.
Australian personnel in Davao City
Dela Rey said Australian personnel visited Davao City, although she could not disclose whether they were members of the Australian police. She confirmed that PRO-Davao has been coordinating with Australian authorities, who stayed in the city for several days to help trace the suspects’ movements.
She said the purpose of the visit was to determine the suspects’ movements in the city, identify the people they met, and assess whether they had any plans.
The Akrams arrived in the Philippines from Sydney, Australia, on November 1 and left the country on November 28, 2025. The two reportedly spent most of their 28-day stay confined to a hotel in Davao City and had limited interaction with other people.
In Australia, they are now accused of carrying out the deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that left at least 15 people dead and 42 others wounded. RGP