SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian nurse who says he was forced by
Islamic State militants to work as a medic in Syria was arrested after
returning home and faces potential terrorism-related charges.
Adam Brookman, 39, was arrested at Sydney International Airport on
Friday night on a Victoria state warrant relating to his alleged
involvement in the conflict in Syria, Australian Federal Police said in a
statement.
He appeared from a police cell by video link in the Parramatta Bail
Court on Saturday, where a magistrate granted an application by the
Melbourne Joint Counter Terrorism Team to extradite him to Victoria. He
is to appear in a Melbourne court no later than Monday morning.
The court heard a warrant for Brookman's arrest was issued on Friday. Police did not detail the charges he could face.
Brookman did not speak during his brief appearance.
He surrendered to Turkish officials in Turkey on Tuesday. He voluntarily flew back to Australia with a police escort.
Brookman, a Muslim convert and father of five children who live in
Melbourne, told Fairfax Media in May that he went to Syria last year to
do humanitarian work for civilians caught in the war. He said he was
innocent of any crime.
Brookman said he was forced to join Islamic State militants after being
injured in an airstrike and taken to a hospital controlled by the group.
"After I recovered, they wouldn't let me leave," he told Fairfax.
He won the militants' trust by working as a medic and was able to escape to Turkey in December.
Brookman told Fairfax that he opposed the violent and extreme actions of
the militants, including the beheading of their captives.
"Of course there will be an investigation. That is fine. Hopefully things don't look that bad," Brookman told Fairfax.
It is not clear whether Brookman was still in Syria on Dec. 4, when
Australia made a presence in the Islamic State stronghold of al-Raqqa
province in Syria a crime punishable by 10 years in prison. If charged,
the onus would be on Brookman to prove he had a legitimate reason to be
in the terrorist hotspot.
Supporting a terrorist organization is a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
No comments:
Post a Comment