In brief
- A total of 13 Australian citizens linked to IS have made their way from Qatar.
- Police made arrests of three women at Sydney and Melbourne airports.
Three women have been detained after families linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group landed back in Australia after spending around seven years in a northern Syrian refugee camp.
A group of four women and their nine children and grandchildren landed at both Sydney and Melbourne airports between 5.30 and 5.45 pm on Thursday night.
Two women were arrested on arrival into Melbourne and one woman, understood to be travelling with her son, was also arrested in Sydney.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Stephen Nutt said he expects one of the women will be charged on Friday, while the other two will be charged on Thursday night or on Friday.
Two of the women are expected to face several charges, including crimes against humanity relating to enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave, and engaging in slave trading.
Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment.
The third woman is expected to face charges relating to entering or remaining in a declared area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.
Each of those charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
The group is part of at least 34 Australian citizens — mainly women and children — who have been languishing in diplomatic limbo in the al-Roj detention camp since 2019 following the collapse of the extremist militant organisation.
Having left the camp in northern Syria in late April, the group of 13 now back in Australia are thought to have travelled on a multi-legged journey to Australia via the capital, Damascus, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
Burke has been adamant that the government has not assisted the group on their journey in any way, saying that "they made an appalling, disgraceful decision" to travel to Syria during the rise of IS.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor said on Thursday that the government should have prevented the families from returning.
"The children are, in many cases, they're the innocent victims of this terrible act," he said.
"But the truth is as well, that the government has a responsibility to Australian citizens to keep them safe."
Nutt said the women had not received any assistance in Syria or during their journeys.
Arrests were expected
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Wednesday that police would be waiting for the group when they arrived.
"Some individuals will be arrested and charged," she said. "Some will face continued investigations when they arrive in Australia."
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told 2GB News earlier on Thursday that state authorities were working closely with their Commonwealth counterparts and that a number of the women returning Thursday would be arrested.
Lanyon added that any children in the custody of those who may be arrested would be looked after.
"We would work very closely with any relatives of that child, or certainly, if not, the Department of Communities and Justice will work closely to make sure that child is taken care of," he added.
Mat Tinkler, CEO of Save the Children Australia, told SBS News earlier on Thursday that the focus now should be on ensuring the children are not subject to further trauma.
"Any prospect that they might be removed from their mothers, if they're charged with crimes, risks traumatising them even more," he said.
"We've got to be very careful how we treat these women and children coming in and really think about prioritising the best interests of those kids."
Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, has said that the rule of law must be upheld as the families arrive and that Muslim communities should not be dehumanised in response.
"While the returning women have placed themselves, their children, and the broader Muslim community in a deeply challenging position, we must ensure that Muslim communities are not unfairly targeted or dehumanised," he said in a statement.
"I urge the public to reject any response that legitimises hatred toward Muslim Australians."
Family 'overjoyed'
A camp official recently told SBS Kurdish that the group had been "overjoyed" as they departed al-Roj with the hope to "start a new life."
Onboard the flight from Doha to Melbourne, a family told SBS News on Thursday morning that "the kids were so bubbly and happy to be making their way home."
"They said it's incredible, honestly."
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