A group of four Australian women and nine children related to the “Islamic State” group have booked their flights from Syria to Australia. Some of them will face charges on arrival.
The returnees include four women and nine children, who had been living in Syria’s Roj camp.
As per local media reports, they are expected to arrive at airports in Sydney and Melbourne on Thursday.
Australia warns of arrests
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the group would receive no government assistance.
“They made an appalling, disgraceful decision,” Burke told the media, adding that he received an alert when the group’s travel booking was made.
“The government’s complete lack of support for these individuals is a direct reflection of the decisions that they made,” he added.
Australia’s Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said that some individuals will face arrests and criminal charges upon arrival.
Others could remain under investigation, while children will be put in community reintegration and support programs.
Police said they collected evidence in Syria as they probed whether Australians had committed crimes under Australian law, including travelling to a prohibited area and being involved in slave trade.
Australia prepares for ‘IS’ returnees
A February attempt by a larger group of 34 women and children to repatriate to Australia from the same camp was halted by Syrian authorities.
The Australian government had banned one of the women from returning at the time.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, had been issued with a temporary exclusion order which Australia can use to prevent high-risk citizens from returning for up to two years.
Burke said the order that banned the woman’s return remained in place.
Between 2012 and 2016, some Australian women had left for Syria to join their husbands who had become members of the “IS”.
After the so-called caliphate’s collapse in 2019, many of them were detained in camps while some made their way back home, Australian media reports said.
Burke said there were “very serious limits” on what authorities could do to prevent Australian citizens re-entering the country.
Australian authorities have been readying themselves for such returns for over a decade.
The minister said law enforcement and intelligence agencies have maintained contingency plans since 2014 to manage people linked to extremist groups.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
DW News
