A woman accused of travelling to Syria, joining the Islamic State and marrying a number of its members has renounced the terror group and violent jihad, her lawyer says.
Rayann El Houli, 34, was due to apply for bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning but her barrister Peter Morrissey SC sought an adjournment.
He told the court the prosecution had raised concerns about El Houli’s risk of endangering the community, claiming there was a lack of evidence she had renounced IS.
Mr Morrissey said he needed more time to obtain the relevant material but he was instructed to make a statement on behalf of his client.
“She renounces ISIS and violent jihad,” he told the court.
“She wants nothing to do with it – not now, not in the future, not directly and not indirectly, not for herself and not for the people she loves, and especially not for her children.”
El Houli was on Thursday charged by Australian Federal Police with travelling to a declared conflict zone and joining the terrorist organisation Islamic State.
Police allege she travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 before being detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held with her family at the al-Hawl detention camp in northeast Syria.
The 34-year-old travelled through Lebanon with her children and another woman and returned to Australia in September.
Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan on Monday outlined some of the allegations against El Houli, including that she intentionally travelled to Syria for the purpose of joining IS.
It’s also alleged she married a number of the group’s members and expressed radicalised views while in Syria, including supporting acts of martyrdom and the killing of non-believers.
Police also claim El Houli only left Syria when IS was defeated and not as a result of a change in views.
Mr Morrissey told the court his client had renounced the terror group, which was evidenced by his statement to the court and her decision to return to Australia.
El Houli also showed her face on Monday as a “matter of good faith” to the court after first appearing in a burqa on Thursday, Mr Morrissey said.
“It’s quite a big deal,” he said.
Mr Morrissey accepted his client had not yet engaged in anti-terrorism programs but said she would be willing to undertake any courses suggested by the prosecution.
The defence were also looking to engage a risk assessment expert to assess El Houli before the bail application proceeds, Mr Morrissey said.
Judge Hannan supported that course, saying the views El Houli was accused of expressing were “extremely concerning”.
“These are very serious charges and the risk is serious indeed,” she told the court.
The bail application was adjourned to a date to be fixed, with El Houli remanded behind bars.
Australian Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national newswire and has been delivering accurate, reliable and fast news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We keep Australia informed.
