The children of Australia’s most wanted terrorist could one day be eligible for citizenship in the country if they’re still alive.
According to an exclusive report by Newscorp published in the Herald Sun, Melbourne-born Neil Prakash, who fought with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, told Turkish investigators he fathered at least three children with two jihadi brides. It is believed two of the children were born a month apart and would be aged 20 and 21 months.
It is reported his two wives were a Dutch-Syrian woman and a French-Syrian woman, although the whereabouts of the women and the children is currently unknown. There is a possibility the women and children have been killed. Prakash is thought to have made the confession to investigators when he was arrested after trying to cross the Syrian border two years ago in 2016.
Prakash is currently wanted in Australia on charges of being a member of a terrorist organisation. He appeared in a Turkish court overnight via videolink on terrorism charges, although his case was delayed until July 19. It’s the third time his case has been delayed. If convicted in Turkey, it could be years before he’s returned to Australia, where he is also wanted on terrorism charges.
It is thought Prakash went to Syria in 2013 to fight for ISIS and attempted to recruit other members using social media. Australia wants Turkey to extradite him on a variety of charges including advocating and supporting terrorism and being a member of a terror group.
Because of the seriousness of Prakash’s crimes, there are questions over whether children of foreign fighters should be banned from entering Australia. Earlier this year, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she thought children born to foreign fighter parents shouldn’t be allowed to enter the country. Her comments came after a senior British Police officer from Scotland Yard proposed courts should remove kids from their extremist parents.
Hanson said she wouldn’t want her grandchildren interacting with kids who had been exposed to extremist families or views.
“If the mother is dual citizenship, strip her of her Australian citizenship, do not allow her back into the country with her child,” she said in an interview with Sky News. “I don’t want these people back here and the majority of Australians don’t want them either.”
Her views were echoed by many Australians, who expressed their anger on Facebook when Today shared a video about the possibility of Prakash’s children being given Australian citizenship.
One person said: “If they let this guy into the country then it’s a new low. Watch for the do gooders who will support him! Crazy”.
Another comment read: “Yeh why not, bring all his family aunts uncles cousins give them a new car house lots of money from Centrelink. But when it comes to people that matters most like pensioners don’t worry they will be right… and yes I am being sarcastic”.
A third added: “Let’s take a vote, who wants any jihadist and their families here, I surely don’t”.