No sign of "broader terrorist cell" behind Bondi Beach attack, police say

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Melbourne, Australia — An probe that extended to the Philippines of 2 men accused of shooting dormant 15 radical astatine a Sydney Jewish festival has recovered nary grounds that they were portion of a "broader violent cell," constabulary said connected Tuesday.

Sydney residents Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old lad Naveed Akram spent astir of November successful Davao City successful the confederate Philippines, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

They returned connected a formation from Manila connected Nov. 29. Two weeks later, they are accused of sidesplitting 15 and wounding different 40 successful a wide shooting that targeted a Hannukah festival astatine Bondi Beach.

Philippine National Police determined the brace seldom near their edifice during the visit, Barrett said.

"There is nary grounds to suggest they received grooming oregon underwent logistical mentation for their alleged attack," Barrett told reporters.

"These individuals are alleged to person acted alone. There is nary grounds to suggest these alleged offenders were portion of a broader violent cell, oregon were directed by others to transportation retired an attack. However, I privation to beryllium clear, I americium not suggesting that they were determination for tourism," Barrett added.

Barrett did not item a motive for the visit, which began connected Nov. 1.

A receptionist astatine the edifice successful Davao City wherever the attackers stayed besides told CBS News they ne'er near their country for much than a day. Jojo, who works astatine at the GV Hotel, said the begetter and lad checked successful connected Nov. 1 and near connected Nov. 28. He said they extended their enactment week by week and paid successful cash, and that they would spell retired during the day, but instrumentality to the edifice each night, often bringing nutrient backmost to devour successful their room.

Scenes From Davao Where Bondi Shooting Suspects Travelled In November

Police and Australia's premier curate person alleged the brace were inspired by the ISIS panic group. The confederate Philippines erstwhile drew tiny numbers of overseas militants aligned with ISIS oregon al Qaeda to bid successful a secessionist struggle involving number Muslims successful the mostly Catholic nation.

Tom Smith, the world manager of the Royal Air Force College, who studies information and coercion successful the Philippines and Southeast Asia, told CBS News it would beryllium precise hard for foreigners to person weapons grooming from the ISIS affiliated radical successful the region.

"They would instrumentality retired similar a sore thumb," Smith said. "When I spell there, you know, I'm determination with subject support. I person a Ph.D. successful the area, and adjacent I instrumentality retired similar a sore thumb."

He said determination are "plenty of equipped radical successful Mindanao, successful the Philippines, for them to spell and practice, you know, firing rifles and what person you. But it's a agelong mode to accidental that that equals a violent camp."

Barrett said she was constricted successful what she could disclose astir the probe successful the Philippines due to the fact that she did not privation to prejudice Naveed Akram's trial.

He has yet to participate pleas to dozens of charges including 15 counts of execution and 1 of committing a violent act. Police changeable him successful the abdomen during a gunfight astatine Bondi connected Dec. 14 and helium spent a week successful a infirmary earlier helium was transferred to a prison. Police changeable his begetter dormant astatine Bondi.

Authorities are promising the largest constabulary beingness ever astatine New Year's Eve festivities astatine Sydney Harbor connected Wednesday. More than 2,500 officers volition beryllium connected duty. Many volition beryllium openly carrying automatic rifles, a show seldom seen connected Sydney streets.

The first constabulary responders to the Bondi massacre were equipped with Glock pistols that lacked the lethal scope of the Akrams' rifles and shotguns. Two constabulary officers were among the wounded.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the authorities was not moving toward a much militarized constabulary unit successful effect to the attack.

"Given we've conscionable had the worst coercion lawsuit successful Australia's past wrong the past month, it would beryllium self-evidently the lawsuit that things request to alteration and the information needs to change," Minns said.

"I recognize that there'll beryllium immoderate radical that reason this oregon respect it arsenic the militarization of the police. My consciousness is acold much families would afloat enactment that benignant of constabulary cognition due to the fact that they volition consciousness acold safer successful that environment," Minns added.

More than 1 cardinal revelers assemblage the waterfront each twelvemonth to spot a world-famous fireworks show centered connected the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Minns said helium was acrophobic that immoderate simplification successful assemblage numbers would beryllium interpreted by extremists arsenic a victory.

"It's an accidental to thumb our chemoreceptor astatine the terrorists and their ideology that truly would person america surviving successful a shot and not celebrating this beauteous city. So this is an accidental to unrecorded your beingness and amusement defiance to that benignant of ideology," Minns said.

The Bondi victims volition beryllium commemorated with 1 infinitesimal of soundlessness astatine 11 p.m. connected Wednesday erstwhile 4 images of a Jewish candelabrum known arsenic a menorah volition beryllium projected connected the bridge's pylons, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Local authorities authorities had planned to task images of a dove with the connection "peace," but that was changed aft consultation with Jewish representatives.

"I proceed to perceive to the assemblage to guarantee the acknowledgement of the horrific onslaught astatine Bondi Beach during New Year's Eve is appropriate," Moore said successful statement.