Another ISIS bride charged with terror offences

An Australian woman linked to ISIS who returned home from Syria has been charged with terror offences.

An Australian woman linked to ISIS who returned home from Syria has been charged with terror offences.

Seven women and 12 children – all Australian citizens – touched down in Sydney and Melbourne airports from Syria on Tuesday.

The group fled the al-Roj internment camp in Syria’s northeast last week. They had been detained in the desert facility since the fall of the so-called ISIS caliphate in 2019.

No arrests were made upon this cohort’s arrival in Australia.

There was a heavy police presence ahead of the ISIS-linked Australians’ arrivals. Picture NewsWire / Monique Harmer

The Australian Federal Police is scheduled to address media on Thursday afternoon relating to the arrest of a woman as part of ongoing investigations under Operation Kurrajong.

This operation was first referenced publicly by AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett ahead of a separate cohort’s earlier arrival in May.

“Operational planning for the return of these individuals (who travelled to Syria) started in 2015 and then were formalised under an overarching co-ordination operation named Kurrajong,” Ms Barrett said in May.

From that cohort, who touched down on May 7, three women were arrested and charged by the AFP upon arrival in Australia.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett has said individuals who travelled to Syria hade been monitored for more than a decade. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

This included Kawsar Abbas, 53, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, who were charged at Melbourne Airport.

Ms Abbas was charged with four counts of crimes against humanity, including enslavement.

Each offence carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Authorities will allege Ms Abbas travelled to Syria in 2014 with her husband and children, was complicit in buying a female slave for $US10,000 and knowingly kept the woman in the home.

Ms Ahmad was charged with two counts of crimes against humanity, including enslavement.

It will be alleged she travelled to Syria in 2014 with her family and knowingly kept a female slave in the home.

The third woman, Janai Safar, 32, was arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with entering and remaining in a declared area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

It will be alleged Ms Safar travelled to Syria in 2015 to join her husband, who had previously left Australia and joined ISIS.