Australian man who joined the Islamic State found in Syrian prison
On February 21st, The Guardian revealed an Australian man who joined the Islamic State was alive and being held in a prison in north-eastern Syria.
Mustafa Hajj-Obeid, is one of a group of accused members of IS whose Australian citizenship was taken away and then restored in 2022 following a legal challenge, has been reported as missing for the past six years since the military defeat of IS.
According to reporters, Hajj-Obeid, who was wounded in the group’s last battle, was found by reporters during a rare tour of Panorama prison, a facility run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). In the prison, home to a number of accused IS members, Hajj-Obeid spoke to reporters, clad in a brown jumpsuit with a shaved head.
Before he left Australia, Hajj-Obeid worked as a security guard in Sydney. An anonymous family member told the media outlet that she did not suspect that the now 41-year-old had become radicalised as his behaviour “seemed normal” and they were told that his trip out of the country was a late honeymoon to Malaysia with his wife, Rayan Hamdoush.
Since the pair departed, Hamdoush has also been imprisoned. In March 2019, Hajj-Obeid’s wife gave herself over to the authorities and was moved to a prison camp for IS-linked women and children.
The Australian government has since acknowledged the Guardian’s report on Hajj-Obeid’s detainment and said it was “closely monitoring the security situation in Syria.”
The Australian government has repatriated four women and 21 children from Syrian detention camps. At least 42 Australians, including 11 women and 31 children, are still being held without charge, including Hamdoush and her 5-year-old son.
The Guardian
