Bondi attack suspects kept to themselves during Philippines stay, hotel staffer recalls

By Reuters 19 December 2025, 10:16 pm

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The facade of GV hotel is seen in Davao City, in the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao, where Bondi Beach terrorists Sajid and Naveed Akram stayed during their visit in November, weeks before their attack on a Hanukkah event killed 15 people in Sydney. (Ferdinandh CABRERA / AFP)

When the two gunmen accused of attacking a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach traveled to the Philippines last month, they kept to themselves most of the time and barely left their room, a hotel staff member said.

When they did, it was almost always around 9 a.m. and lasted just a little over an hour, said the worker, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity after the hotel’s management ordered its staff not to talk to the media.

Police allege Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, killed 15 people on December 14 as hundreds celebrated the Jewish holiday.

“They were not approachable at all. Other foreigners would typically talk to us,” the hotel staffer said by phone.

The alleged gunmen stayed at GV Hotel in Davao City on Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines. The hotel, in the city’s downtown, sits alongside travel agencies, remittance centres, pawnshops, a hardware store, an appliance store and a few strip clubs.

GV Hotel, in a statement sent to the media, confirmed the men booked through a third party and were initially scheduled to arrive on November 15, but arrived earlier on November 1.

The employee said the pair initially booked a room for seven days, but extended their stay three more times and paid in cash.

The worker said they had limited interaction with Naveed Akram, who inquired at the front desk on their second night whether the hotel sold boxes of bottled water. In another instance, Naveed asked where he could buy durian, a popular fruit in Davao. But beyond customary greetings, Naveed barely interacted with hotel staff, the worker said.

The source could not recall any interaction with Sajid Akram, the father.

“They had no visitors. They did not bring anyone else inside their room, none at all,” the worker said.

When the pair went out, Sajid brought his backpack while Naveed wore a shoulder bag. The hotel staff could not determine what the contents of the bag were or whether they had brought items from outside.