Sajid Akram and his son Naveed lodged at GV Hotel in downtown Davao City from Nov 1 to Nov 28 and stayed mostly in their rooms without interacting with other guests or receiving any visitors, according to the report, which cited hotel employee Jenelyn Sayson. They had initially booked in for a week but kept extending.
Around seven to 10 police officers visited the hotel on Wednesday, a member of the housekeeping staff told Bloomberg News, asking not to be identified because he’s not authorised to speak publicly. Rooms at the hotel cost around 900 pesos (US$15) a night.
The Philippines’ interior secretary Jonvic Remulla, whose agency oversees the police, said on Thursday that the hotel staff’s account still needs to be validated and checked against CCTV footage.
The attack on the eve of Hanukkah at one of Australia’s most iconic beaches has prompted calls for stricter gun laws and been widely condemned as a targeted act of antisemitism against Jewish Australians.
It’s also put an unexpected spotlight on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where Islamic State-aligned militants have operated.
The combination of Australia saying the attack was inspired by the Islamic State and the region’s recent struggle against ISIS-aligned groups has raised speculation over the reasons for their visit.
On Wednesday, Philippines National Security adviser Eduardo Ano, a retired military general, said authorities in Manila were coordinating with their Australian counterparts for information and intelligence sharing to determine the purpose of the gunmens’ visit to the Philippines.
But Ano pushed backed against claims the southern region is a hotspot for violent extremism. He said Philippine security forces have “significantly degraded ISIS-affiliated groups in the country.”
“The remnants of these groups have been fragmented, deprived of leadership, and operationally degraded” following a siege in 2017, he said.
“A mere visit does not support allegations of terrorist training and the duration of their stay would not have allowed for any meaningful or structured training,” Año said.