ISIS brides sneak out of Syria and are smuggled back into Australia
A group of six ISIS brides and their Syrian-born children have quietly slipped back into Australia after fleeing war-torn Syria, triggering a wave of fury from terror victims.
The women, who left Australia years ago to live in Islamic State-controlled territories, were detained in Beirut by Lebanese border authorities for carrying invalid visas and lacking entry records.
Despite this, they were later issued Australian passports following DNA testing and security checks conducted by Australian officials.
Security agencies had been monitoring the group for months while they were still in Syria, anticipating that some would attempt to return independently.
The Albanese government insists it played no role in helping the women flee Syria, but critics say the operation reeks of secrecy.
In Parliament last month, the Opposition grilled the government over reports that ISIS brides were being repatriated with official assistance.
A group of six ISIS brides and their children have fled Syria, and returned to Australia
Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley slammed the government's lack of transparency.
'Australians expect strong borders, but under Labor it's secrecy at the expense of security,' she said.
The Opposition has demanded the government reveal where the group is now living.
'This is nothing short of a dereliction of duty by the Albanese Labor Government. These are people who willingly travelled to a war zone and aligned themselves with one of the most barbaric terrorist organisations in history,' Ley said.
'Now they appear to have returned secretly, raising fundamental questions about how and why they were allowed back in. Australians deserve answers.'
The Australian government was monitoring them
The Opposition has called on the Albanese Government to answer where the group is living
'Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time.'
The return has sparked concern among Assyrian Christian communities, many of whom were victims of ISIS atrocities.
'Obviously there are members of our community who are victims of ISIS, and ISIS brides aided their men to perpetrate crimes against the Assyrians,' said Dennis Suro, President of The Young Assyrians.
Sussan Ley echoed those concerns.
'Assyrian Christian Australians, victims of ISIS themselves, have been ignored once again. Their communities may now be forced to live alongside those who chose to support the very terrorists who inflicted such horrors upon them,' she said.
The controversy follows a similar backlash in 2022, when Western Sydney leaders voiced anger over the return of ISIS brides, accusing the government of treating their suburbs as a 'dumping ground' for former Islamic State affiliates.
Performing a search on ISIS brides in Syria, who say soon they will be free and ISIS will rise again.
ISIS brides in al-Hol terrorist prison in Syria, who say soon they will be free and we will be locked up.
Foreign wives of former ISIS fighters are held in the camps Al Roj and Al Hol (pictured) in Syria
Foreign wives of former ISIS fighters are held in the camp at Al Hol (pictured) in Syria
Al-Roj is home to around 2,600 detainees from 55 countries, many of them ISIS brides and their children (pictured, a woman in the al-Hol camp in Syria's northeast)
Women and children at the al-Roj detention camp in northeast Syria
These women are the wives and widows of Islamic State fighters
The women have been living in the camp in North East Syria since ISIS was defeated in March 2019
Women and children were removed from the al-Roj camp near the Iraqi border, and relocated to Sydney
In 2022, the Albanese government carried out a rescue plan to bring home 16 women and 42 children who were families of IS members
ISIS terrorists from the squalid camps may present a threat to national security
Australian ISIS brides in Syrian refugee camps were returned home in a secret operation
Patients at hospitals in Manchester have described the moment they were told that the doors would be sealed during a lockdown in the wake of a terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester.
Pictures from inside Fairfield Hospital show security walking through the hospital corridors and waiting rooms, and hospital staff at the main entrance as they were about to 'seal the doors for full lockdown'.
A patient told the Manchester Evening News that no one was allowed to come in and out following the attack in Crumpsall.
The patient had an appointment and was told that once he left he would not be allowed back in as staff would be 'sealing the doors'.
Another patient named Josh said he was at the Royal Oldham Hospital when appointments started to be cancelled as people were not allowed to enter.
He was not allowed to leave until two-an-a-half hours after his appointment.
Josh said he arrived at the hospital and saw six police officers outside.
He said: 'Then when I was inside, the staff shut all the blinds, they wouldn't tell us what was going on. They just said there's been a lockdown.
'I was trying to find out what happened, I was really nervous, you don't know what's going to happen or that it wasn't something happening inside the hospital with the police being there.
'It was a nightmare, especially not knowing what's going on for two-and-a-half hours. We were completely locked in.'
People were told to stay away from Manchester hospitals unless they had urgent or life-threatening conditions. (Pictured: police and ambulance crews near the cordon outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall)
A bomb disposal unit was at the scene alongside dozens of police vehicles and fire and ambulance crews
Patients were told to stay away from Manchester hospitals unless they had urgent or life-threatening conditions after a man was stabbed next to a synagogue.
At least two Jewish people were killed in the attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester.
A car was driven into a crowd before the male driver started stabbing people at 9.31am on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Police said four other victims are in a serious condition.
The suspect, who was feared to be wearing an explosive vest, was shot dead within seven minutes of the initial call to the emergency services, Greater Manchester Police's chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson said.
Officers have since confirmed the incident is being treated as a terror attack. The Daily Mail understands members of the British Army's elite SAS were called in to support the terror probe.
An internal note by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust said: 'Greater Manchester major incident declared - lockdown of our sites.'
The note, seen by the Manchester Evening News, said: 'Please be advised that all our sites have been asked to immediately lock down following the declaration of a major incident within Greater Manchester.
'We have been informed that emergency services are at the scene of an incident within Manchester. We will share further details as these become available.'
A witness outside Salford Royal hospital said the hospital was 'on lockdown' with no one allowed 'in or out'.
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Manchester said: 'We are aware of the incident currently unfolding in Crumpsall and are actively supporting the multi-agency response led by Greater Manchester Police and other emergency services.
'Our priority is to ensure the safety and care of patients and staff across the region, and we are working closely with partners to manage any impact on local hospitals and emergency departments.
'We urge the public to only attend Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments if your condition is urgent or life-threatening. This will help us prioritise care for those most in need and ensure emergency teams can respond effectively to this incident.
'If you are unsure about which service to use, please contact NHS 111 online or by phone for guidance.'
Another patient inside Fairfield General has told local news that security are now staffing the doors.
Bosses at Greater Manchester NHS, however, insisted that patients should attend their scheduled appointments at hospital unless they have been informed otherwise.
Video shared on social media appears to show armed police officers pointing guns at someone laying on the ground as one screams to onlookers: 'Everyone move back, he has a bomb, go away.'
The person on the ground is seen starting to get up before there is the sound of a gunshot and they fall to the ground. Another person is also shown lying motionless on the ground outside the synagogue gates with blood around their head.
A white lorry marked 'bomb disposal' later arrived at the scene, and went behind the cordon outside the synagogue.
Manchester has a Jewish population of more than 30,000, the highest in UK after London.
A short distance away from the synagogue, police officers armed with Heckler & Koch machine guns stood guard at the head of a path, between houses, leading up to the back of the synagogue.
A number of black, unmarked police 4x4 vehicles and vans carrying plain clothes officers with face coverings were seen leaving the area of the incident at speed.
Members of the army unload a bomb disposal robot at the scene
Police enacted 'Plato' - the national code-word used by the emergency services when responding to a 'marauding terror attack'
The Islamic terrorist who killed two men outside a synagogue came to the UK from Syria as a young child and grew up just around the corner from the site of the attack.
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was a teenager, aged around 16.
Al-Shamie carried out his murderous rampage on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
He first rammed his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before he got out and started 'stabbing everyone he could get to'.
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester. He is pictured holding a child
The 35-year-old was caught on camera armed with a knife trying to get into the synagogue moments before he was shot by armed police
The Islamic terrorist was shot dead by police following the attack outside a synagogue in Manchester (pictured is a member of the Army's bomb disposal team checking the attacker)
Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside the synagogue, but was prevented in doing so by hero Rabbi Daniel Walker, who barricaded worshippers inside.
Marauding terrorist Al-Shamie had been seen wearing what was feared to be a vest with an explosive device.
Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the synagogue, said Al-Shamie went from victim to victim in a 'robotic' manner like he 'had a job to do'.
Mr Rafiq, 35, a manager for a global tech firm, told the Daily Mail: 'Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason.
'But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men. He was going for anyone who was Jewish.
'The men he stabbed were all wearing the kippah.'
Rabbi Daniel Walker (pictured right) leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack. Note the blood on the white robe.
A bomb disposal expert from the British Army's 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment is seen investigating the device worn by the terrorist
People in tears were seen comforting one another near the synagogue following the deadly attack
Last night, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack had come following an 'unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere'.
He said: 'This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.'
Police patrols have been bolstered outside synagogues since the bloodshed.
Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said the bravery of security staff and worshippers had stopped the knifeman from entering the building.
Sir Stephen said: 'There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.'
Former Tory minister Sir Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came 'face-to-face' with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation.
Sir Grant told the newspaper: 'He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors.
A forensic technician gathers evidence at the scene following the stabbing and car attack
Benjamin Netanyahu called the deadly rampage a 'barbaric attack' and said Israel was grieving with the Jewish community in Britain.
'Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded,' the Israeli Prime Minister said.
'As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.'
Israel lays blame for Manchester terror attack at the feet of Keir Starmer as his government is accused of failing to protect British Jews
Israel has accused Keir Starmer of failing to protect British Jews ahead of Thursday's murderous terrorist attack.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said the Prime Minister had failed to tackle the ‘rampant anti-Semitic incitement in Britain’ and demanded an immediate ‘change of course’ from the Labour government.
Benjamin Netenyahu appeared to link the attack to Sir Keir’s controversial decision last month to recognise a Palestinian state.
The Israeli PM said his country ‘grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester’.
But he added: ‘As I warned at the United Nations, weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.’
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said the Manchester attack ‘was sadly something we feared was coming’ at a time of rising anti-Semitism in the UK.
Mr Sa’ar said: ‘The truth must be told: blatant and rampant anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls of support for terror, have recently become a widespread phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses.
'The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of anti-Semitism and have effectively allowed it to persist.’
And Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested Britain was paying a price after choosing to ‘embrace terrorists, protect them and support them’.
Mr Ben-Gvir, who is sanctioned by the UK for inciting violence against Palestinians, added: ‘The time has come for the British leaders to wake up and understand what the citizens of Israel are going through every day – terrorism makes no difference, whether Israelis or Englishmen.
'Today it is against the Jews, tomorrow it is against the whole Western world.’
In the UK, the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said the terror attack had been made ‘inevitable’ by the ‘appeasement of extremists, especially those of the far-Left and radical Islamists’.
Chief executive Gideon Falter said successive governments had failed to tackle ‘the mobs on our streets’ creating a climate of fear for British Jews.
He added: ‘Today, the blood of British Jews is on the hands of virtue-signalling politicians who have poured fuel on the fire of extremism with their posturing and appeasement, police forces and police chiefs who have failed to tackle the mobs on our streets, universities and schools that have tolerated incitement’.
Mr Falter also hit out at the BBC, saying the corporation’s ‘bias and moral collapse has essentially turned them into spokespeople for Hamas, whom they still refuse to call terrorists’.
Tory MP Louie French urged ministers to clamp down on the huge pro-Palestine marches which have taken place in cities across the UK in the wake of the October 7 attacks and which many Jews have described as intimidating.
He said: ‘If the Government really wants to support the Jewish community, it must announce today that the hate marches will be stopped straight away.
'No more excuses. No more division. The UK must be free from anti-Semitism and all forms of religious hatred.’
But noisy, pre-planned demonstrations in support of Palestine went ahead in both Manchester and London yesterday despite the attacks.
