Australian Federal Police arrested three women with deep Islamic State ties Thursday as they stepped off planes in Melbourne and Sydney, ending a nearly decade-long manhunt for the so-called 'ISIS brides' who face up to 25 years in prison.
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Zeinab Ahmed, 31, Janai Abbas, 32, and Kawsar Abbas, 53, stand accused of terrorism, crimes against humanity, enslavement, and slave trading dating back to 2015. The terrorism charges carry 10-year maximum sentences, while slavery-related offenses could mean 25 years behind bars, according to Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Stephen Nutt.
The women belonged to a group of four Australian women and nine children who traveled to Syria to marry ISIS fighters before the terrorist caliphate collapsed in 2019. They spent years detained at the Al Roj camp in northeastern Syria under Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces control until recent conflicts forced the SDF to abandon the facility.
Airport Drama and Mystery Escorts
Ahmed and Abbas were seized in Melbourne while Safar was detained in Sydney. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that men dressed in black waited for the women at Melbourne's international airport, some wearing masks to conceal their faces as they attempted to escort the women from the terminal.
The arrests create a political headache for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government, which has faced fierce criticism from opposition parties over its handling of the situation. Syria's new government has been pushing to expel Australian citizens from its territory since February, despite Australian attempts to prevent their return.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had repeatedly insisted the government would provide no assistance beyond issuing passports to the group. The women are expected to appear in court as early as Friday once formal charges are filed, Nutt said.
This arrest follows Australia's recent repatriation of nine children from Syrian ISIS camps, where mothers also faced terrorism charges. An estimated 21 Australians remain detained at the Al Roj camp as the new Syrian government continues pressing for their removal.
The case will test Australia's counterterrorism laws and set precedent for how Western nations handle citizens who joined ISIS during the group's territorial peak in Iraq and Syria.
