A Jordanian national whose coffee shop was visited by the alleged gunmen behind December’s Bondi beach terrorist attack – and who frequently traveled to Australia and the Middle East – has been arrested in the Philippines for overstaying his visa.
Authorities investigating the gunmen’s month-long stay in Mindanao Island, in the country’s south, alleged that Mohammad Odeh Saleh, 65, had travelled to Australia in the years before his arrest in Pagadian City on Monday.
The business establishment of the Jordanian had “surfaced in records connected to suspects in the December 2025 terrorist attack in Sydney”, according to a statement released by the military unit that assisted in the arrest.
Malinche Tomarong, a spokesperson for the 1st Infantry Division, told the Guardian that Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, had allegedly visited a coffee shop owned by Odeh in Davao City, where the pair stayed for four weeks before they launched the attack.
“Our intelligence units verified all the places the suspects went to. One of the places they visited was a coffee shop owned by a Jordanian in the Davao area. He is one of the owners,” Tomarong said on Wednesday.
A separate statement from the military unit said an “initial investigation has not established direct involvement of Odeh in terrorist activity”, but he remained a “person of interest” for further review “to fully assess any potential security concerns related to the case”.
The Akrams are accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack, killing 15 people and injuring 40 during a beachside Hanukah celebration.
Sajid was shot dead during the attack. Naveed is facing 59 charges, including murder and terrorism offences.
The arrest came after a “security review” of information that emerged about the Akrams, the military unit said.
Odeh was arrested at Pagadian City business, in the south-western tip of Mindanao, about an hour’s flight from Davao City, where the Akrams had stayed.
He was arrested for overstaying and engaging in gainful business without the proper visa. He secured a temporary residence visa to stay in the Philippines in 2023, but which expired in March 2025, authorities said.
“Immigration records indicate that he remained in the Philippines approximately 10 months beyond the expiration of his visa, resulting in immigration violations under Philippine law,” the military said in its statement.
They also cited immigration records which said the man had travelled between Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Malaysia between 2014 and 2025.
The Australian federal police (AFP) declined to comment. New South Wales police was also contacted for comment.
Parts of Mindanao, in the south of the country, have a history of interaction with international jihadist groups. In 2017, local groups laid siege to Marawi City in an attempt to establish an Islamic State province. Authorities say terrorist activity in the region has since diminished.
The Akrams were not known to have left Davao City during their four-week stay in the Philippines. The AFP, citing information from counterparts in the Philippines, alleged that they “acted alone” and were not part of a wider terror cell.
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