Australia charges IS-linked woman who returned from Syria with terrorism offences

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Australia charges IS-linked woman who returned from Syria with terrorism offences14 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleHelen LivingstoneSydneyGettyAustralian women and children in al-Roj camp in Syria in February. A woman with links to the Islamic State group who returned to Australia from Syria has been charged with terrorism offences, police have said.

The announcement comes after two groups of women and children arrived in Australia this month after spending years in the al-Roj camp in north-east Syria where families of IS fighters have been held since 2019. No further details of the person arrested or the charges were immediately available though police were to give a press conference later on Thursday.

The Details

Three women who returned from Syria this month have also been charged with various crimes including crimes against humanity and remaining in a declared conflict zone. The group who arrived in Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday were understood to be the last Australians in the al-Roj camp, with other Australians having returned in previous months and years.

The women and children are the subject of heated political debate in Australia, with the government saying it had given them no help to return and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisting "if you make your bed, you lie in it". Advocates have argued Australia must uphold their right to return and that the children in particular should be supported.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.