ISIS bride is whisked from Sydney Airport to police station where she is expected to be charged – as a group at Melbourne Airport are held in customs while bodyguards wait for them
An ISIS bride was flown from Syria to Sydney police station.
Two planes carrying women and children linked to former ISIS fighters landed in Melbourne and Sydney on Thursday night.
While the Melbourne flight landed around 17.30, another plane landed at Sydney International Airport around 17.45.
Janai Safar and her son were on the flight to Sydney.
Safar was seen outside the Mascot Police Station near Sydney Airport around 7pm.
The group from Syria consists of four Australian women – grandmother Kawsar Abbas, 54, her two daughters Zahra Ahmad, 33, and former Sydney nursing student Zeinab Ahmed, 31, Janai Safar – and their nine children.
Kawsar and his family will land in Melbourne on a Qatar Airways flight via Doha on Thursday. He is accompanied by his brother, boxing coach Abraham Abbas.
It is understood Kawsar and one of her two adult daughters will be arrested on arrival and charged over serious allegations made by two women from Syria’s Yazidi community. Australian reports.
Janai Safar (rightz0, seen outside Mascot Station after landing in Sydney from Syria)
Federal police have previously warned that former ISIS brides, including Janai Safar (above), could face prosecution when they arrive in Australia.
Plane carrying ISIS bride and children lands in Melbourne
Australian Federal Police at Melbourne Airport
Officers on patrol at Melbourne International Airport on Thursday night
The group of 13 people left Al Roj camp two weeks ago. All of the women and children are Australian citizens and have Australian passports.
It is understood there are still 21 Australians remaining in the camp in north-east Syria.
Shortly before the planes touched down, a large group of supporters, believed to be family and friends, arrived at both Melbourne and Sydney airports.
About a dozen large men dressed in black, some carrying body-worn cameras, were waiting in Melbourne to escort women and children.
Supporters are unsure how many of the group will be allowed through customs after police warned some would be charged.
As of 7pm, none of the group that landed in Melbourne had disembarked.
Lina Giralda, who was sitting next to Janai Safar on the plane, said that she was shocked when a group of police officers came to the plane as the plane landed.
He said it was “scary” knowing he lived near Safar.
Security officers were prepared for the group’s arrival from Syria
Reporters ready to record the band’s arrival
Police told him that there was no reaction from Safar, his son and a man traveling with them when they came to get off the plane.
Passengers had to wait several minutes for the group to leave the plane before disembarking.
He said the group didn’t say much and stayed to themselves during the flight.
Another passenger on the flight landing in Sydney said there were ‘five or six’ AFP officers on board and the group tapped him on the shoulder.
‘They sat next to me. “We chatted in general, they seemed like good people,” they said.
‘They were then taken away by the police.’
He said the plane crew did not make any announcements to the passengers about what was happening.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said evidence collected since 2015 was being used to determine whether the women had breached Commonwealth laws, including ‘crimes against humanity such as engaging in the slave trade’.
Officers at Melbourne International Airport
“Some people will be arrested and charged, while others will face ongoing investigations on arrival in Australia,” Ms Barrett said on Wednesday.
If the case goes to court, it will be the first time an Australian citizen has been tried for crimes under domestic law.
ABC News correspondent Bridget Rollason spoke to some women in transit at Doha Airport.
‘One woman told me she missed the latte the most and was looking forward to grabbing a coffee on Collins Street in Melbourne,’ she said.
‘They told me they were really looking forward to returning to Melbourne and that they missed Australia.
‘Some of the children even had Australian accents despite being born in Syria.
‘When we talked to the women, they were excited to return home.
‘We asked how they felt about potentially being arrested, but they refused to comment. One of their uncles told us to stop making movies and stop talking to them. We only had a brief conversation before boarding the plane.’
More to come…
