Second ‘ISIS bride’ group to face charges upon return
A second group of women and children linked to Islamic State are expected to face charges when they return to Australia.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed seven women and 12 children were making plans to travel from Syria to Australia after spending years in a Syrian refugee camp.
So-called “ISIS brides” who will arrive in Australia on Tuesday evening are expected to face charges on their return.
“The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” Mr. Burke said in a statement.
“These are people who have made the terrible choice to join a dangerous terrorist organization and put their children in an indescribable situation.
“Any member of this group who commits a crime can expect to face the full force of the law.”
Mr Burke said intelligence agencies had been preparing for the return home of people linked to the terrorist group Islamic State since 2014.
The group had traveled to the Middle East with men trying to fight on behalf of the Islamic State before the overthrow of the caliphate in 2019.
“The government’s priority, as always, is the safety of the Australian community,” Mr Burke said.
Their impending arrival follows an earlier group of four women and nine children who returned to Australia at the beginning of May.
Three of the women in this group were arrested on arrival and remain in custody.
Two of them face slavery-related charges, while the other is accused of joining a terrorist organization and traveling to a declared conflict zone.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
