At least 70 mosques in the Philippine city of Davao will display photographs of Sajid and Naveed Akram, the father and son who murdered 15 people in last week’s Bondi Beach shooting in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Local Muslim leaders hope the public appeal will help uncover details of the pair’s month-long visit to Davao prior to the attack.
Davao region’s senior Islamic cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Yusop Pasigan, held up an A4 printout of the two men’s images and basic details on Sunday, calling them “no good - not good people.” He urged community members to contact police with any information about their activities.
“We will post this above the doors of our mosques, front and back,” said Pasigan. “One of the other measures being implemented is, if there are newcomers at the mosques, we will get their details and identification. If they resist and [cause trouble], we will call [local emergency number] 911.”
Security sources in Australia confirmed last week that the Akrams had traveled to the Philippines to receive “military-style training” just weeks before the attack.
Philippine authorities are now conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the Akrams’ month-long stay in Davao from November 1 to November 28, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Few clues have surfaced beyond a handful of CCTV images. Police confirmed that Sajid Akram, 50, visited one of the city’s gun shops and that footage captured the men jogging near their hotel. Another video, aired by the ABC, appeared to show Naveed, 24, walking in the early morning.
On Sunday, a police spokesperson declined to comment on reports suggesting that two other Sydney men may have been in Davao City at the same time as the Akrams.