Australian police said Tuesday that two suspected gunmen who killed 15 people in an attack on a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach had traveled to the Philippines before the assault and appeared to be inspired by Daesh.
The attack on Sunday was Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years and is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.
The death toll stands at 16, including one of the alleged gunmen, identified by police as Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot by police. The man's 24-year-old son and alleged accomplice, identified by local media as Naveed Akram, was in critical condition in the hospital after also being shot.
Australian police said Tuesday that both men had traveled to the Philippines last month and the purpose of the trip is under investigation.
Philippine immigration officials said both men traveled to Manila and onward to Davao in the south of the country on Nov. 1 and left on Nov. 28, just weeks before the Bondi shooting.
