3 Australian women returning from Syria are arrested on suspicion of slavery and terrorism offenses
Police say the women face slavery and terrorism charges after years in Syrian detention camps, and nine children returned with the group.
- On Friday, Australian Federal Police charged two women, aged 53 and 31, with crimes against humanity after they arrived in Melbourne from Syria, alleging they kept a female slave under Islamic State's caliphate.
- The women, detained in Syria's Roj camp for more than seven years, returned to Australia on Thursday after allegedly travelling to the Middle East in 2014 to support the Islamic State group.
- Separately, Janai Safar, 32, was arrested at Sydney airport Thursday on charges of joining a terrorist organisation, with Police Counter-terror Boss Stephen Nutt stating, "This remains an active investigation into very serious allegations."
- Opposition frontbencher Sarah Henderson declared the arrivals a national security scandal, while the Coalition estimates monitoring costs could hit $2m per person as the government vowed to keep Australians safe.
- Small groups of women and children have returned to Australia from Syrian camps in 2019, 2022 and 2025, as officials cited very serious limits on preventing citizens from re-entering the country.
135 Articles
135 Articles
What Happens Next for ISIS Linked Families in Australia? Inside the Country’s De Radicalisation Programs
Australia has repatriated four women and nine children linked to the Islamic State group from detention camps in Syria, reigniting debate over national security, rehabilitation, and the long term challenge of reintegrating individuals connected to extremist organisations. Three of the women were arrested upon arrival in Melbourne and Sydney and now face terrorism related and […] The post What Happens Next for ISIS Linked Families in Australia? I…
Investigators determined that Kawsar Abbas, now 53, her husband, and their children traveled to Syria in 2014, where the Islamic State's criminal caliphate was then established. The woman allegedly bought a slave girl for $10,000, who was being held captive in the family home. Abbas has already been charged with four counts of crimes against humanity, while her 31-year-old daughter, Zeinab Ahmed, faces two counts of slavery. Each faces up to 25 …
Australian police arrested three women on Thursday who allegedly have ties to the extremist group IS. Footage from the Australian Federal Police shows how two women, aged 53 and 31, were detained at Melbourne Airport on suspicion of crimes against humanity. They are accused of keeping and using a slave in Syria. These offenses carry a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. Additionally, a 32-year-old Australian woman was arrested at Sydney Airport…
'ISIS brides' arrested on return to Australia
Supporters and media surround an Islamic State-linked family as they arrive at Melbourne Airport. Photo: Getty Images A pair of Islamic State-linked women accused of crimes against humanity are behind bars but plan to make bail applications after they were arrested on return to Australia.
Two ISIS-linked women facing slavery charges after return to Australia
Australian police said on Friday they had charged two women linked to the Islamic State extremist group with slavery offenses after they returned overnight from Syria, where they had been detained in a refugee camp for more than seven years.
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