Australian woman accused of joining ISIS renounced jihad, her lawyer says

An Australian court heard allegations that Rayann El Houli supported Islamic State activities in Syria, attempted indoctrination, and recruitment. She has applied for bail while her defence claims she has renounced extremist ideology, with proceedings ongoing in Melbourne

Melbourne: An Australian woman charged with joining the Islamic State group expressed views supporting terrorist acts and killing of non-believers, attempted to indoctrinate her children and recruited others to join her in Syria, according to allegations made in court on Monday.

A defence lawyer for Rayann El Houli said expert evidence would be produced in court that her views had changed.

---

“She renounces ISIS and violent jihad,” Peter Morrissey said, using an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

“She wants nothing to do with it: not now directly or indirectly. Not in the future. Not for herself. Not for the people she loves and specifically not for the children.”

El Houli, 34, applied for release on bail in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on charges that she joined a terrorist organisation and entered and remained in Raqqa, Syria, more than a decade ago when it was the stronghold of the IS so-called caliphate.

Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan outlined allegations within the prosecution’s summary of evidence that she wanted Morrissey to address in the bail hearing.

El Houli allegedly travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with the intention of joining IS fighters.

“The accused expressed radicalised views while in Syria, including support for terrorist acts. She supported acts of martyrdom whilst in Syria. She repeatedly expressed views that supported the killing or serious injury of non-believers,” Hannan said.

She tried to indoctrinate her children and invited people living in Australia go to Syria for the “purposes of following a life and making decisions based on IS or other extremist ideology”, Hannan said.

El Houli left Raqqa in 2019 “when the caliphate was defeated and not as a result of her changing views”, the magistrate said.

The bail application was adjourned to a date that will be set later.

Each charge against El Houli carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. People charged with terrorism offenses can only be released on bail in exceptional circumstances.

Hannan said she wanted to hear details of how El Houli escaped from the al-Hol camp for displaced people in eastern Syria and was smuggled into Lebanon.

She returned to Australia from Lebanon last year and was arrested in Melbourne last week.

Three other women also linked to IS who have returned to Australia recently were charged with slavery and terrorism offences on arrival and remain in custody, and others remain under police investigation.