Australian authorities have arrested three women arriving at Sydney and Melbourne airports after flying back from Syria, where they allegedly supported so-called “Islamic State” (IS) fighters, police said.
The women, aged 31, 32 and 53, are all Australian citizens. He has spent the last few years in refugee camps in Syria after the fall of IS.
Another woman traveling with the group was not arrested. According to reports, nine children were also among the groups going back to Australia.
Security personnel and journalists welcomed the women
Police said before arrival that the women could be charged with “terrorism crimes” as well as “crimes against humanity such as involvement in the slave trade” after traveling to the restricted area.
The groups of returnees were welcomed by black-clad security personnel as well as a crowd of journalists.
Australian public broadcaster ABC said heavily armed police officers were on hand to monitor the women and children being escorted past journalists to minibuses.
Australia is not willing to return its citizens from Syria
Countries such as Australia, as well as the UK and Canada, have been reluctant to repatriate their citizens who went to Syria to support IS.
Australian officials said they would not help IS affiliates return, but would not stop them either.
According to the ABC, about 21 Australians are believed to still be in the al-Roj camp in north-eastern Syria.
One of the returning women told the broadcaster she was looking forward to coming back to Australia.
“We just want our kids to be safe. It was like hell [in Syria] For them,” she told the ABC at Doha airport before flying to Melbourne.
Australian law deemed travel to the former Syrian IS stronghold of Raqqa without a valid reason illegal between 2014 and 2017.
Edited by: Rana Taha