ISIS Bride Who Allegedly Followed Husband to Syria Arrested in Australia

A file photo shows the ISIS terrorist group's flap. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

A woman who allegedly travelled in parts of Syria under the control of the Islamic State was arrested on Jan. 5, Australian police said.

The 31-year-old New South Wales (NSW) woman is accused of entering and remaining in Syria in early 2014 to follow her husband, who left Australia to join and fight for the terrorist organisation in 2013.

Police say the woman was aware of her husband’s activity in Syria and willingly travelled to the conflict region. Her husband is believed to have died in Syria in 2018.

Mariam Raad was residing in the al-Roj internally displaced persons camp in northeast Syria until she was repatriated back to Australia in October 2022 along with 16 other women and children.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NSW police investigators arrested the woman after executing search warrants at Young and Parklea during the early hours of Jan. 5.

Raad is currently living in the regional town of Young in NSW’s South Western Slopes region.

She’s expected to face the Wagga Wagga Local Court on Jan. 6, charged with entering or remaining in declared areas, contrary to section 119.2 of the Criminal Code.

The AFP stated that the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team would contribute to investigating Australians returning from declared conflict areas to ensure the safety of the Australian community.

The AFP also stated that the team will continue to target criminal activity “and does not target specific ideologies or beliefs.”

“Individuals will be brought before the courts when evidence supports allegations that returned individuals have committed offences in conflict areas,” Sandra Booth, AFP acting assistant commissioner counter terrorism, said in a Jan. 5 statement.

Mark Walton, commander of NSW Police Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics, said their priority is to protect the community from those who pose a threat to the community.

“We have zero tolerance for Australians—or anyone—who seek to commit acts of violence or extremism, and those considering doing the wrong thing will come under our notice,” he said.

“Our investigators methodically gather information and evidence, conduct surveillance, and work tirelessly to target criminal activities which pose a threat to the Australian community.”

Community Decried Resettlement of ISIS Brides

In November 2022, the centre-left Labor government was criticised for its decision to resettle four ISIS brides and their 13 children in Australia without consulting with the community.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil announced in a statement on Oct. 29, 2022, that the repatriation decision “was informed by individual assessments following detailed work by national security agencies.”

But Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews argued that the government didn’t comprehensively take into account security and welfare factors when it brought back the brides of ISIS fighters and their children.

She noted that the people living in Western Sydney who had to flee from ISIS are now “terribly concerned that they are going to be living side by side with people who are associated with those they actually fled from overseas.”

“They witnessed firsthand overseas what impact ISIS had on them. They saw their friends killed. They perhaps saw members of their family killed, in some cases, by being beheaded in front of them,” Andrews said.

In June 2022, a suspected Australian ISIS terrorist had his Australian citizenship returned after the High Court ruled that the government couldn’t revoke a person’s citizenship if they’re accused of terrorism-related conduct overseas.

The ruling is expected to pave the way for up to 20 other convicted or suspected ISIS fighters to have their citizenship effectively reinstated.