A ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday, Dec. 21, bared that the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia should be viewed as an act of antisemitism rather than terrorism.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) who also had been deployed in Mindanao for anti-terrorism operations, stressed the distinction between race-based hatred and violent extremism driven by radical ideology.

“Antisemitism is hatred toward a particular people. It can use terror actions but it does not necessarily require years of radicalization,” Trinidad said in a news forum.

Trinidad noted that large-scale terror attacks such as the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001, the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia, and the London subway bombings in 2005 targeted the public at large, not a specific ethnic or religious group.

In contrast, Trinidad said the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach attack targeted Jews during a religious celebration, the Hanukkah Festival.

“Terrorism as we know it, violent extremism, demands prolonged radicalization and indiscriminate violence meant to terrorize the general population,” he explained.

Trinidad also dismissed speculation that the Bondi Beach suspects’ stay in the Philippines contributed to their radicalization, saying extremist indoctrination does not occur in a matter of weeks.

According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the father-and-son suspects Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed, 24, arrived in the country on Nov. 1 and stayed at a one-star accommodation along Pichon Street in Poblacion District, Davao City until their departure on Nov. 28.

“Radicalization takes years. It does not happen in 27 days,” Trinidad said. “This means that the father-and-son tandem already harbored hatred toward Jews, already possessed the skills at a gun-club level to use a firearm, and already had the intent to carry out the attack.”

Further, Trinidad said that there were reports that the Bondi Beach suspects engaged in nightlife activities in Davao.

“Assuming these reports are accurate, this mirrors the pattern seen among the 9/11 terror suspects, who went clubbing in New York before hijacking the planes, indicating that their intent was already present,” he said, referring to a series of Islamic terror attacks by al-Qaeda in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 which killed nearly 3,000 people.

He explained that these activities meant the suspects were maintaining a cover, blending into society, and continuing ordinary activities while preparing for an attack.

“That also means the intent did not develop in the Philippines,” Trinidad said, dispelling claims that the suspects were radicalized during their travel to Davao.

The official also rejected claims that the Philippines, particularly Mindanao, remains a hotbed of terrorism.

He said that such assertions were “unverified” and ignore years of security gains by the military.

He stressed that while Mindanao suffered from terrorism in the past, the situation has changed significantly. AFP records showed that extremist strength has sharply declined since the Marawi incident, from more than 1,200 fighters at its peak to about 50 today. The remaining terrorists were even fragmented into smaller groups and are facing a leadership vacuum. Around 28 high-value targets have been neutralized over the years, including 10 leaders, according to the AFP.

Remnants of former groups, Trinidad said, are now largely involved in criminal activity or clan-based conflicts rather than organized terror campaigns.

He pointed to Basilan and Sulu, once strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf Group, as now open to tourism with growing local economies and busy public areas.

In Lanao del Sur, he said, the Maute Group has been largely silent since the 2017 Marawi siege, while Ansar al-Khilafah Mindanao has declined following the neutralization of its leaders and the dispersal of its members.

“To portray Mindanao today as a terror hotspot is inaccurate,” Trinidad said. “It was true in the past, it is no longer true now.”