Trending Now - Australian Airliners Bring Home Women and Children Tied to ISIS

WHO:

ABC News - Australian Broadcasting Corp reporter Bridget Rollason reported that some women mentioned spending as long as 12 years in Syria, with children born in "hellish conditions" inside the camps.

ABC News - Mat Tinkler, chief executive of Save the Children Australia, emphasized that "two-thirds of this cohort that we’re talking about ... are children."

CNN - A 32-year-old woman who traveled to Syria in 2015 to join her husband, who had previously left Australia to join ISIS, was arrested at Sydney airport on Thursday.

AP News - Stephen Nutt, the Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism, stated that a 53-year-old woman would be charged with four crimes against humanity including possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading.

AP News - A 31-year-old woman, who also landed in Melbourne, would be charged with two slavery offenses.

AP News - A 32-year-old woman, who arrived with her son at Sydney Airport, would be charged with being a member of a terrorist organization and with entering or remaining in a region controlled by a terrorist organization.

ABC News - Three Australian women and eight children linked to the Islamic State group.

ABC News - A separate woman and her son also returned to Australia.

ABC News - Save the Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler emphasized the need to focus on the welfare of the returned children.

ABC News - Deakin University extremism expert Joshua Roose discussed the investigation into abuses within the Islamic State caliphate.

WHAT:

CNN - The two women charged with slavery offenses traveled to Syria in 2014 with their families and allegedly kept a female slave at their homes.

AP News - The Australian government had previously refused to help repatriate the women and children.

CNN - The two women, aged 53 and 31, face crimes against humanity charges including owning and using a slave in Syria, which carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

CNN - The 32-year-old woman charged with terror-related offenses faces a maximum jail term of 10 years and is due to appear in a Sydney court on Friday.

ABC News - A plane carrying three Australian women and eight children landed in Melbourne, while another plane carrying a woman and her son arrived in Sydney soon after.

ABC News - The Australian government announced on Wednesday that the 13 individuals planned to return to Australia after spending years in a Syrian desert camp.

AP News - A 53-year-old woman who arrived at Melbourne Airport would be charged by Friday with four crimes against humanity including possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading.

AP News - A 31-year-old woman, who also landed in Melbourne, would be charged with two slavery offenses, each carrying a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

AP News - A third woman, a 32-year-old who arrived with her son at Sydney Airport, would be charged with being a member of a terrorist organization and with entering or remaining in a region controlled by a terrorist organization, each carrying a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

ABC News - Police stated that the women face potential criminal charges related to their alleged involvement with the Islamic State group.

AP News - Three women were arrested at airports on allegations of slavery and terrorism inside the Islamic State group’s former so-called caliphate.

AP News - Each slavery offense carries a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, while the charges against the 32-year-old woman carry a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

ABC News - Airliners carrying women and children linked to the Islamic State group landed in Australia.

ABC News - A plane carrying three Australian women and eight children landed in Melbourne, while another plane carrying a woman and her son arrived in Sydney.

ABC News - The Australian government announced that the 13 individuals planned to return to Australia after spending years in a Syrian desert camp.

ABC News - Police stated that the women face potential criminal charges related to their alleged involvement with the Islamic State group.

ABC News - Save the Children failed in a court bid in 2024 to compel the Australian government to repatriate citizens from Syrian camps.

WHERE:

ABC News - The planes landed in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

ABC News - The flights took off from Doha, Qatar.

WHEN:

ABC News - The planes landed on a Thursday.

ABC News - The court bid by Save the Children occurred in 2024.

WHY:

ABC News - The Australian government had condemned the women for supporting Islamic State militants by traveling to Syria and had refused to help repatriate them.

ABC News - The Australian government condemned the women for supporting Islamic State militants by traveling to Syria and had previously refused to help repatriate them.

ABC News - Police have been investigating Australians' potential involvement in atrocities in Syria for over a decade.

HOW:

BBC News - The women and children were repatriated from Roj Camp in the Syrian desert.

CNN - The women were arrested at Melbourne and Sydney airports upon their arrival from Syria on Thursday.

ABC News - Both Qatar Airways flights took off minutes apart from Doha bound for Australia’s two largest cities. QR904, which landed in Melbourne first, was followed by QR908 in Sydney.

AP News - The four women and nine children landed on two Qatar Airways flights from Doha.

ABC News - Both Qatar Airways flights took off minutes apart from Doha bound for Australia’s two largest cities.

(UPDATED May 8, 2026 07:29 UTC)

In a troubling report, some women have revealed they spent as long as 12 years in Syria, where children were born in what they described as "hellish conditions" inside camps, according to ABC News. The two women charged with slavery offenses traveled to Syria in 2014 with their families and allegedly kept a female slave at their homes, while the Australian government had previously refused to assist in repatriating these women and children. Fortunately, the women and children were recently repatriated from Roj Camp in the Syrian desert, as highlighted by BBC News.

(UPDATED May 8, 2026 04:06 UTC)

A 32-year-old woman who traveled to Syria in 2015 to join her husband, an ISIS member, was arrested at Sydney airport on Thursday. Meanwhile, two other women, aged 53 and 31, were also taken into custody at Melbourne and Sydney airports for crimes against humanity, including owning and using a slave in Syria, which could lead to a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. The 32-year-old faces terror-related charges with a maximum jail term of 10 years and is scheduled to appear in a Sydney court on Friday.

(UPDATED May 8, 2026 01:32 UTC)

A plane carrying three Australian women and eight children landed in Melbourne, while another flight with a woman and her son arrived in Sydney shortly after, as the Australian government announced that these 13 individuals were returning home after spending years in a Syrian desert camp. The authorities revealed that a 53-year-old woman arriving in Melbourne would face charges for four crimes against humanity, including possessing a slave, while a 31-year-old woman would be charged with two slavery offenses, each potentially leading to 25 years in prison. Additionally, a 32-year-old woman arriving in Sydney is set to be charged with being a member of a terrorist organization, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, as police stated that these women are under investigation for their alleged involvement with the Islamic State group.

(UPDATED May 7, 2026 17:32 UTC)

Three women were arrested at Australian airports on serious allegations related to slavery and terrorism connected to the Islamic State group's former caliphate. A 53-year-old woman faces four charges against humanity, including possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading, while a 31-year-old woman is charged with two slavery offenses, and a 32-year-old woman faces charges for being a member of a terrorist organization. Each slavery offense could lead to a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, and the charges against the 32-year-old woman carry a potential maximum sentence of 10 years, following their arrival on two Qatar Airways flights from Doha.

(UPDATED May 7, 2026 09:48 UTC)

Three Australian women and eight children linked to the Islamic State group have returned to Australia, with a plane landing in Melbourne, while another flight carrying a separate woman and her son arrived in Sydney. The Australian government has condemned these women for their alleged support of Islamic State militants and police are investigating their potential involvement in atrocities in Syria, which has been ongoing for over a decade. Save the Children Australia’s chief executive Mat Tinkler has highlighted the importance of focusing on the welfare of the returned children as the women face potential criminal charges related to their actions.