Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the final Australian ISIS “bride” still in Syria decides not to return, knowing she could be met by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers upon arrival.
Questions about Sydney woman Hodan Abby’s potential return came amid reports that she had allegedly bypassed local authorities to act as a “sharia judge” and enforcer at the Kurdish-run detention camp al-Roj in north-east Syria.
Abby was also alleged to have taken direct orders from ISIS commanders and relayed them within the camp. She was also accused of abusing a Yazidi girl who had been enslaved in her home a decade earlier.
Abby’s intention to return to Australia was flagged after two groups of ISIS-linked women and children, comprising 32 people, returned landed in Melbourne and Sydney in May. Three women have since been arrested.
“And as I’ve said a number of times, I wouldn’t be surprised if some people choose not to return,” Burke told ABC Radio.
“I was surprised when all the remainder of the cohort returned, but I think they weren’t quite expecting that some of them would be met at the airport by the Australian Federal Police because we already had the evidentiary burden there to be able to press charges.”
The minister also said there would be “consequences” if Abby returned to Australia.
“I suspect that the particular person who was subject to the temporary exclusion order would be very mindful of what she has done, and would be very mindful of consequences if she were to return to Australia,” he said.
When asked whether the government was aware of the allegations against Abby, Burke did not give a direct answer but said there was a reason she had been subject to a temporary exclusion order.
“There is a there is a reason why one person stood out from others in terms of the temporary exclusion order information, the fact that you have information and intelligence, the federal police then need to build that up to evidence before they’re ready for an arrest,” he said.
“But certainly, everybody who went to join ISIS made an unconscionable decision, like made a horrific decision, and while they were there, there were a range of unacceptable behaviours across the cohort.”
At the time, Burke said the woman would be subject to a number of conditions upon her return, including reporting to police, disclosing her address and where she works or studies, and not using any telecommunications device if given 24 hours’ notice.
