Two flights carrying so-called ISIS brides back to Australia have touched down in Melbourne and Sydney this evening, with the women met by authorities but none of them charged.
A group of four women and their children arrived at Sydney Airport just after 5.30pm, having left the Al-Roj refugee camp late last week and travelled via Damascus.
Another group of two women and their children arrived at Melbourne Airport about 4.30pm.
Counter-terrorism police searched the groups’ belongings and downloaded information from their devices “for investigative purposes”.
“No one arriving within this cohort has been charged, however, investigations into the activities of Australians who travelled to Syria, including those who have since returned, are ongoing,” the NSW and Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Teams said in a statement.
“Police and the JCTTs will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure community safety is upheld.
“The safety of our communities remains a priority for all agencies.”
Domestic charges were laid against three Islamic State-linked brides who landed in Australia earlier this month.
One bride from the group that arrived today was left behind after she was subjected to a temporary exclusion order.
An exclusion order bans a person from entering Australia for two years on national security grounds, even if they are an Australian citizen.
It is understood there are very few, if any, Australians left in the Al-Roj refugee camp.
The federal government has insisted it has not assisted any of the women in their repatriation and said security agencies have been preparing for their return since 2014 and have plans in place to “manage and monitor” them.
“I have nothing but contempt for anyone who has anything sympathy for ISIS,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today.
“Any breaches of the law will mean these people will face the full force of the law.”
The cost of monitoring and rehabilitating the returning citizens and their families could be as high as $2 million per year.
“The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said.
“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation.
“The priority of the government, as always, is the safety of the Australian community.”
The earlier cohort of four women and nine children arrived back in Australia earlier in May after leaving the same camp in Syria.
One of the women was arrested and charged with terror offences, including charges of entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation, after arriving in Sydney.
A further two women were arrested in Melbourne and charged with slavery offences allegedly committed during their time in Syria.
The brides who followed their ISIS partners to Syria more than a decade ago have faced a long journey in their return to Australia.
The women and their children have been held in refugee camps in north-eastern Syria for years, following the collapse of ISIS, and recently failed in an attempt to leave the camp for Australia earlier this year.
Australia repatriated two other groups of women and children who were living in the Al Roj camp in 2019 and 2022.