An investigation into the Bondi Beach attack has found no evidence of “multiple terrorists,” police said

Melbourne, Australia – An investigation into the two men suspected of shooting dead 15 people at a Jewish festival in Sydney has found no evidence that they were part of a “terrorist group,” police said Tuesday.

Sydney residents Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram spent most of November in Davao City in the southern Philippines, said Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett.

They flew back from Manila on November 29. Two weeks later, they were accused of killing 15 and injuring 40 others in a shooting incident targeting a Hannukah festival at Bondi Beach.

The Philippine National Police determined that the two rarely left the hotel during the visit, Barrett said.

“There is no evidence that they received any training or preparation for the alleged attack,” Barrett told reporters.

“These people are suspected to have acted alone. There is no evidence to show that these alleged violators were part of a wider terrorist group, or were directed by others to carry out the attack. However, I want to be clear, I am not suggesting that they were there for tourism,” added Barrett.

Barrett did not specify the reason for the visit, which began on November 1.

A receptionist at the hotel in Davao City where the attackers were staying told CBS News that they never left their room for more than a day. Jojo, who works at GV Hotel, said the father and son checked in on November 1 and left on November 28. He said they extended their stay week by week and paid in cash, leaving during the day but returning to the hotel every night, often returning with food to eat in their room.

Police and Australia’s prime minister say the pair were inspired by the ISIS terrorist group. The southern Philippines once attracted a number of foreign fighters affiliated with ISIS or al Qaeda to train in a war of apartheid against the Muslim minority in the Catholic nation.

Tom Smith, director of education at the Royal Air Force College, which studies security and terrorism in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, told CBS News that it would be very difficult for foreigners to receive weapons training from an ISIS-linked group in the region.

“They’re going to stick out like a sore thumb,” Smith said. “When I go there, you know I’m there with the support of the military. I have a Ph.D in the area, I just graduated sixth.”

He said “there are a lot of armed people in Mindanao, Philippines, to go and practice, you know, shooting guns and what have you. But it’s a long way to say that that equates to a terrorist camp.”

Barrett said he is limited in what he can reveal about the investigation in the Philippines because he does not want to undermine the trial of Naveed Akram.

He has pleaded not guilty to many charges, including 15 counts of murder and terrorism. Police shot him in the stomach during a shootout in Bondi on December 14. He spent a week in hospital before being transferred to prison. Police shot and killed his father in Bondi.

Authorities are promising the largest police presence ever for New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney Harbor on Wednesday. More than 2,500 officers will be on duty. Many will be openly carrying automatic weapons, which are rarely seen on the streets of Sydney.

I police first respond to the Bondi massacre they were armed with Glock pistols which were not the lethal type of Akrams’ rifles and shotguns. Two police officers were among the injured.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the state was nowhere near a full-fledged police force to respond to the attack.

“As we have just had the worst terrorist event in the history of Australia within the last month, it would be clear that things must change and security must also change,” Mins said.

“I understand that there will be people who will oppose this or see it as militarization of the police. My opinion is that many families can fully support that type of police because they will feel very safe in that area,” Mins added.

More than 1 million people flock to the waterfront each year to witness the world-famous fireworks display centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Mins said he was concerned that any reduction in the number of extremists would be interpreted as a victory.

“It is an opportunity for us to thumb our noses at terrorists and their ideas that would make us live in football and not celebrate this beautiful city. So this is an opportunity to live your life and show that you are not in agreement with that kind of ideas,” Mins said.

The Bondi victims will be remembered for a minute’s silence at 11pm on Wednesday when four Jewish candlesticks known as menorahs will be displayed on the bridge’s towers, Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Local government authorities had planned to display images of the dove with the word “peace,” but that was changed after consultation with Jewish representatives.

“I continue to listen to the public to ensure that it is appropriate to acknowledge the horrific attack that took place on Bondi Beach on New Year’s Eve,” Moore said in a statement.