Sajid Akram and his son Naveed shot dead 15 people and injured dozens more in an attack inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State jihadist group on Jews celebrating the Hanukkah holiday on December 14.
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The men traveled to the southern Philippines in the weeks before the attack, raising suspicions that they had contact with extremists in the region with a history of Islamist insurgency.
– The allegation is that these individuals acted alone – Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters.
Terrorist attack in Australia
“There is no evidence to suggest that these alleged attackers were part of a larger terrorist cell, or that they were instructed by others to carry out the attack,” Barrett added.
The commissioner said police would continue to investigate why the two men traveled to Davao, on the Philippine island of Mindanao, where security footage shows they rarely left the hotel.
– I want to make it very clear, I am not saying that they went there (to the Philippines) for tourism – he stressed.
Police believe the two men “meticulously planned” the attack for months and released photos showing them practicing with shotguns in an Australian field.
Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian national, died after being shot by police during the attack.
His son Naveed, 24 and an Australian national, remains in custody and faces 15 charges of murder and other crimes.
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