Australian women with alleged IS ties face charges on return from Syria

A number of Australian women with alleged ties to Islamic State group militants will be arrested and face criminal investigations if they return from Syria, police said Wednesday.

The Australian Government had been alerted on Wednesday that four women and nine children had booked flights from Damascus to Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said. He did not say when they were expected to arrive. Australian Federal Police, since 2015, have been investigating the behavior of Australians who had traveled to the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate that had been centered in Syria, Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

Investigations had included potential terrorism offenses and crimes against humanity, such as slave trading, she said.

“Some individuals will be arrested and charged. Some will face continued investigations when they arrive in Australia,” Barrett told reporters. The Government was required to provide the group travel documents but has repeatedly said it was not helping repatriate them.

“The individuals concerned traveled in support of one of the most horrific terrorist organizations we’ve seen in recent history or in our lifetimes,” Burke told reporters.

“There is a reason why the Government has drawn a very hard line saying we will do nothing to assist. The Government’s complete lack of support for these individuals is a direct reflection of the decisions that they made,” he added.