2nd Cohort of ISIS ‘Brides’ and Children Land in Australia, No Arrests Yet

The second cohort of wives and children linked to ISIS fighters have landed in Australia.

On the evening of May 26, counter terrorism teams were deployed to Melbourne and Sydney airports awaiting their arrival.

No charges have been laid against the women, who travelled from the Al Roj camp in Syria.

The Joint Counter Terrorism Teams (JCTTs) said the women were subject to checks including searches of their belongings and downloading their digital devices for future investigation.

“No one arriving within this cohort has been charged, however, investigations into the activities of Australians who travelled to Syria—including those who have since returned—are ongoing,” they said in a joint statement.

“Police and the JCTTs will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure community safety is upheld.”

Reports suggest that despite waiting media, the ISIS-linked groups slipped through side entrances and were able to exit without much attention. The arrival of the first group earlier this month ended up in chaotic scenes at Melbourne airport.

There was also a reported physical confrontation between a family member and photographer.

Liberal MP Jason Wood said police at Melbourne Airport were there to “provide crowd control upon arrival.”

“Federal Labor continues to insist they have not helped, yet somehow the ‘brides’ have Australian passports?” he said.

“Now we’re paying for crowd control but going forward taxpayers will foot the bill for monitoring these high-risk individuals in the community, which could be in the area of $2 million per person.”

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Tony Burke has not yet issued a new statement on the returned women and children, but earlier dismissed claims the government had assisted the group in 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.

“The priority of the government, as always, is the safety of the Australian community.”