Melbourne woman, 34, accused of joining ISIS charged after returning to Australia from Syria

Police allege the woman joined ISIS between 2013 and 2014.

A Melbourne woman accused of joining ISIS in Syria has been charged with terrorism offences.

The 34-year-old woman returned to Australia from Lebanon on September 26, 2025, before being charged by officers attached to Operation Kurrajong, the Australian Federal Police confirmed on Thursday.

The charges came after the Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Team — comprising Victoria Police, ASIO and the AFP — executed search warrants at homes in Broadmeadows and Fitzroy North.

Officers seized a suspected stolen motor vehicle, electronic devices, documents and photographs, which will undergo forensic examination.

AFP Deputy Commissioner National Security Investigations Hilda Sirec alleged the Broadmeadows woman travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with others, including a man, to join ISIS.

She was allegedly detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 and held alongside family members in the al-Hawl Internally Displaced Persons Camp.

The woman has been charged with entering or remaining in a declared area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment if convicted.

She is expected to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Sirec said the woman returned to Australia with another woman, 36, who remains under investigation.

Over the past three weeks, the NSW and Victoria joint counter-terrorism teams have charged four women with terrorism-related offences or crimes against humanity and slavery offences.

Two groups of women, often referred to as “ISIS brides”, and their children returned to Sydney and Melbourne this month after years of detention in Syria’s Al Roj camp, which houses relatives of killed or detained former Islamic State fighters.

The latest cohort, made up of six women and their children, landed in Australia on Tuesday.

Sirec said all of the adult returnees remain under investigation. “It is important to note that a period of time without charges being laid is not an indicator that investigations have ceased,” Sirec said.

“Investigations are continuing into all the recent adult female returnees from Syrian camps.

“Anyone who would like to provide information about the investigation is encouraged to call the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400.”

Operation Kurrajong is a joint operation of the AFP, domestic spy agency ASIO, and state and territory police focused on investigating individuals alleged to have travelled to Syria during the reign of the Islamic State caliphate.

“There are consequences for people’s actions and that is the case, as we have seen, where there are a number of Australian citizens who have been charged with very serious offences,” Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said.