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The father of a so-called ISIS bride who was among the latest group of women to return to Australia has defended his daughter, saying that she made a mistake, but she should not be charged.
Zakaria Zahab, the father of Nesrine Zahab, praised the government for bringing his daughter home after she touched down in Sydney Airport from Syria on Tuesday.
“I thank (the) Australian government very much, it is the best country in the world,” he told 9News.
Ms Zahab was a 21-year-old university student when she left Sydney in 2014.
She claims she broke away from a family holiday in Lebanon to help refugees on the Turkish side of the Syrian border. She claims she did not realise she was in Syria until she noticed an Islamic State flag.
She ended up marrying an Australian-born Islamic State fighter, Ahmed Merhi, who was later captured and sentenced to death.
Mr Zahab said his daughter should not face charges, but admitted he was “of course” worried after other women linked to ISIS fighters were charged following their return to Australia earlier this month.
“When you are young, you do so many mistakes, you don’t get charged (for) those mistakes,” Mr Zahab said.
“This is not the end of your life because you’ve done that mistake, you restart again.”
Ms Zahab’s brother, Mohamad, said his family holds trust in the Australian government.
“We trust the process,” he said.
”If my sister or any of the other sisters have done anything wrong, then they will be faced with the full force of the law.”
Ms Zahab was among four women including Hyam Raad, Sumaya Zahab and Aminah Zahab, and their children who arrived at Sydney Airport just after 5.30pm on Tuesday.
Two other women and their children arrived in Melbourne.
No arrests were made upon the cohort’s arrival in Australia, however police said “investigations into the activities of Australians who travelled to Syria – including those who have since returned – are ongoing”.
“The cohort was subject to a range of operational responses, including the searching of belongings and the downloading of their devices for investigative purposes,” police said in the 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.”
‘Who walks into a war zone?’
Ms Zahab previously recalled the moment she had a “heart attack” after she realised she had crossed into Syria in an interview with ABC’s Four Corners.
“Who walks into a war zone?” she told the program in 2019, while she was living in the Al Hol camp in northeast Syria.
“I found that I was in Syria. Did I have a heart attack? Of course, I had a heart attack.
“Did I cry and scream and chuck a fit like a little girl? I chucked the biggest tantrum.
“Did it work? No. I’m still here.”
An insider told news.com.au last year that Ms Zahab was desperate to return home with her son after spending years in the war zone.
“The conditions in the camp are tough,” he said.
“There are other extremist women that are still in the camp, that are giving the Australians a hard time because they want to return home, and then you know that they are, you know, they’re not bought into that extremist ideology.”
“Water, food supplies have changed since the American government pulled the funding from the international aid sector, but they are still getting support, but it’s not as reliable or as regular as what it was before.”
Next steps
During a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, Department of Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster said the agency “played a role” in ensuring there was a plan in place for the women who arrived in Australia this week.
“But, the actual execution of that plan is done primarily by the state and territory law enforcement agencies, and obviously any activities that they have to do in ASIO to supplement that,” she said.
The department would continue to support state and territory governments through funding for Countering Violent Extremism programs in regard to the children, Home Affairs counter-terrorism co-ordinator Brendan Dowling said.
“So, generally speaking, there will be a case management approach,” he said.
“There will be broad consideration of the types of engagement that will need to happen, but it’s not a static plan.”
Next steps might include referrals to appropriate health care and understanding what support there is from family members and schools and counselling, Mr Dowling said.
Asked later about the cohort during question time, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said: “No one should presume that, at any point in time, the work of the Australian Federal Police, in terms of investigating and gathering evidence, is over.”
Four women and nine children returned to Australia from Syria earlier this month.
Three of those women were arrested and charged by the Australian Federal Police upon arrival at Melbourne and Sydney airports.
– With NCA NewsWire
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