ISIS brides to touch down in Sydney and Melbourne tomorrow – with some of them to be arrested at the airport

Australian authorities are preparing for the arrival of a group of ISIS brides and their children from Syria on Wednesday. 

A group of ISIS-linked women is due to arrive at Sydney Airport on flight QR908, while a larger contingent is scheduled to land in Melbourne later in the afternoon on flight QR904.

In total, four Australian women and nine children departed the Al Roj camp in Syria last week. 

Officers from Australian Federal Police will take some of the brides into custody when they land at the airport.

‘I will not flag how many individuals will be arrested, or when they’ll be arrested, to protect a number of our investigations,’ an AFP spokesperson said.

‘However, I will confirm these points: some individuals will be arrested and charged. Some will face continued investigations when they arrive in Australia.

‘And children who return in the cohort will be asked to undergo community integration programs, therapeutic support, and countering violent extremism programs.’

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the federal government is not facilitating their return.

‘The Government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group, which consists of four women and nine children,’ Burke said on Wednesday morning.

‘These individuals made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation. 

‘As we have said many times, any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law.’

He added that the government has ‘long-standing plans’ to manage their return.

‘Our world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been preparing for their return since 2014 and have long-standing plans in place to manage and monitor them,’ he said.

When asked whether the government had taken steps to prevent the group’s return, Burke said there were ‘serious limits’ on its ability to stop Australian citizens from coming back to Australia.

Prior to the arrests, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators look at ‘someone’s state of mind and their intent and their awareness and understanding of the situation they were in’.

‘That most definitely forms part of the extensive investigations that we have done and in fact goes to us being able to prove or make the allegations and place those charges,’ she told reporters. 

More to come.