Women linked to IS to return to Australia today; some arrests expected as rail project cut short
A group of women and children with connections to Islamic State fighters are due to arrive in Australia today after years in a Syrian refugee camp, with some of the women expected to be arrested on arrival in Sydney and Melbourne. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said outcomes will vary across the cohort of 13.
Some individuals will be arrested and charged, she said, while others will face continued investigations after landing. She added that children in the group will be referred to community integration programs, therapeutic support and countering violent extremism initiatives to help them settle.
In a major domestic development, the long‑planned inland rail freight route intended to connect Melbourne and Brisbane will be cut short at Parkes in central New South Wales after its cost nearly tripled in six years. Transport Minister Catherine King said independent analysis shows the project’s price tag has blown out from $16.4 billion in 2020 to more than $45 billion.
Farmers and regional leaders warned that leaving the line half‑built would saddle communities with costs for decades. MP Barnaby Joyce said he was disappointed by the decision. Separately, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion heard testimony that many Jewish Australians feel forced to hide their identity in public, with abuse and intimidation escalating after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.
Sydney man Nir Golan told the inquiry he was abused while wearing a kippah on Oxford Street, alleging the attacker used racial slurs and made Nazi salutes, and that only one person attempted to intervene. Businessman and Holocaust survivor Peter Halasz said he is now afraid to be recognised as Jewish in public.
Overseas, the United States has fired on an Iranian oil tanker as President Donald Trump continues to pressure Iran for a deal on ending the war. US Central Command said on social media that a fighter jet shot out the tanker’s rudder in the Gulf of Oman because it was trying to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports.
President Trump said things in the Middle East are going “smoothly,” describing the situation as a “skirmish” and adding, “They want to make a deal. They want to negotiate.” In health, two patients infected with hantavirus and a third suspected case were evacuated from a cruise ship and flown to the Netherlands for treatment.
The MV Hondius is continuing to Spain’s Canary Islands after an onboard outbreak that has claimed three lives. Addressing fears of another global pandemic, World Health Organization epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said, “This is not the next Covid,” while stressing hantavirus is a serious disease and infections, though uncommon, can be fatal.
In sport, there was disappointment in Melbourne as Federation Square cancelled World Cup screenings. Authorities said today’s returning cohort will be met by law enforcement, with some women facing arrest or further investigation, and children referred to support and integration programs.