Israeli attacks leave at least 20 dead in Gaza
By Rodrigo Santos Andrade
The monsters behind the horrific Bondi Beach massacre spent the month before the slaughter in the Philippines – a chilling reminder that the country remains a hotbed for training terrorist killers.
International security specialist Will Geddes told The Sun it was unsurprising the attackers had travelled to the country, describing its south as a “safe haven” for terrorist activity.
Naveed Akram, 24, and father Sajid, 50, arrived in Manila on November 1, before making their way to Mindanao, a southern island on the archipelago that has long been plagued by violent Islamic extremism.
They returned on November 28, and just two weeks later, the pair committed Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades.
Fifteen innocent civilians died after they opened fire at a Jewish celebration on Sydney’s most famous beach.
Homemade Islamic State flags were later discovered in their vehicle.
New South Wales Police said this week that the reasons for the visit, its purpose and the locations involved remain under investigation, adding that the trip did not trigger any security alerts at the time.
Naveed had previously been assessed as a “low level” counterterrorism risk after an investigation into a Sydney-based Islamic State (IS) cell in October 2019.
However, ABC reported that counterterrorism officials believe the men may have undergone military-style training while visiting the South Asian nation.
Geddes said one of the key advantages of Mindanao for extremists was the difficulty authorities face in monitoring activity there.
Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37679039/philippines-terror-training-ground-bondi-isis-killers-massacre/
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