Hotel staff in the southern Philippine city of Davao say two men later accused of carrying out a mass shooting on Australia’s Bondi Beach lived quietly in a budget hotel for several weeks, rarely leaving their room and drawing little attention before departing, according to accounts given to AFP.
The suspects, identified by Australian authorities as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, checked into the GV Hotel on November 1, the same day immigration records show they entered the Philippines with Davao listed as their final destination. They were assigned room 315 and paid 930 pesos per night for a modest space furnished with two single beds.
During their stay, the pair maintained a low profile, interacting minimally with staff and keeping mostly to themselves, night desk manager Angelica Ytang, 20, told AFP. “They weren’t approachable like other foreigners. Other foreigners usually chat with me, but they didn’t,” she said.
Ytang recalled that she mostly spoke with the younger man, while the elder Akram avoided eye contact. “The father always looked down,” she said. The two never explained why they were in Davao and were not seen receiving visitors.
According to hotel staff, the men typically left the room once a day, usually in the morning, and returned within an hour. “They didn’t stay out long… the longest we observed was about one hour,” Ytang said, adding that she never saw them use a vehicle. “They just walked around. That’s all they did.”
One brief excursion stood out: a failed attempt to find durian, a fruit popular in Southeast Asia. “They asked me, ‘Where can we buy durian?’” Ytang said.
Other employees corroborated the length and quiet nature of the stay. Janitor Ram Ligod, who cleaned the room, told AFP that Naveed wore his hair long during their time at the hotel.
Staff said they immediately recognized the men when news reports about the Sydney attack began circulating. Australian authorities are now examining whether the suspects may have undergone extremist training during a visit to the southern Mindanao region, an area that has experienced decades of Islamist insurgency.
Philippine officials have rejected suggestions that the country served as a training ground for terrorists, saying there is no evidence to support the claim. A regional police spokeswoman said Davao police would issue a statement on Thursday but did not elaborate.
Ytang also recounted a final interaction that left her unsettled after the allegations emerged. As the pair checked out, she reminded them of their deposit. “I said, ‘Sir, you forgot your deposit.’ The son took it, then the father said to give it to me,” she said.
“(Naveed) said, ‘That’s yours.’ They were kind. I still can’t believe they were like that.”
