A Jordanian national whose cafe was visited by the suspected gunmen behind the Bondi Beach terror attack in December – 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 on the southern island of Mindanao alleged that Mohammad Odeh Saleh, 65, had traveled to Australia in the years before his arrest in the town of Pagadian on Monday.
The Jordanian’s company had “appeared in records related to suspects in the December 2025 terrorist attack in Sydney,” according to a statement issued by the military unit that collaborated 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 cafe owned by Odeh in Davao City, where the couple stayed for four weeks before launching the attack.
“Our intelligence units checked 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 Wednesday.
A separate statement from the military unit said an “initial investigation has not established Odeh’s direct involvement in terrorist activities,” 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 Hanukah celebration on the beach.
Sajid was shot dead during the attack. Naveed faces 59 charges, including murder and terrorism.
The arrest came after a “security review” of information that emerged about the Akrams, the military unit said.
Odeh was arrested at a business in Pagadian City, in the southwestern corner of Mindanao, about an hour’s flight from Davao City, where the Akrams had been staying.
He was arrested for overstaying and conducting lucrative business without the proper visa. He obtained a temporary residence visa to stay in the Philippines in 2023, but that expired in March 2025, authorities said.
“Immigration records indicate that he remained in the Philippines approximately 10 months after the expiration of his visa, resulting in immigration violations under Philippine law,” the military said in its statement.
They also cited immigration records that said the man had traveled 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. NSW Police have also been contacted for comment.
Parts of Mindanao, in the country’s south, 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 decreased since then.
The Akrams were not known to have left Davao City during their four-week stay in the Philippines. The AFP, citing information from their counterparts in the Philippines, alleged that they “acted alone” and were not part of a broader terrorist cell.
