A Daily Mail photographer reportedly faced aggression from a man accompanying a group of ISIS-affiliated women and their children at Melbourne Airport. This incident coincided with another group’s arrival in Sydney.
Photographer David spent over two hours at Melbourne International Airport’s arrivals gate on Tuesday night, eagerly awaiting the arrival of two women and their seven children, who had journeyed from the Middle East.
The women, identified as Kirsty Rosse-Emile and Kawsar Kanj, were previously associated with ISIS fighters. They had been living in the al-Roj refugee camp in northeastern Syria for the past seven years, following ISIS’s downfall in 2019.
The group anticipated potential chaos at the airport, resembling the scene witnessed earlier this month when four other ISIS brides returned.
David reported that the men’s hostility was immediate as they escorted the women.
“I noticed the second group, a woman with two children, and quickly followed them to a waiting SUV. That’s when two men confronted me,” David recounted to the Daily Mail.
‘I can’t tell you exactly what happened – I just got hit. I was trying to take pictures and then I couldn’t see.
‘I suspect he hit my with an open palm and it hit me in the face. It was hard enough to mess up my settings, so I lost about a minute of time to take pictures. My camera wouldn’t work, he hit it that hard.’
Two women and seven children (some above) arrived in Melbourne from Syria’s al-Roj refugee camp and walked out of the airport into a waiting car
Daily Mail photographer David (left) was allegedly hit by a man (right) escorting two ISIS brides and their children from Melbourne Airport on Tuesday night
The group of women and their families who travelled to Sydney from Syria were seen escorted into a waiting car by federal police
One of the men who allegedly yelled at David has been identified as Abraham Abbas, a relative of accused slave owners Kawsar Abbas and Zeinab Ahmad – who were arrested upon their arrival in Australia earlier this month.
Abbas is not accused of hitting the photographer.
David described the alleged confrontation as a ‘blur’.
‘He hit me and I told him to f*** off. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by them. I’m allowed to be there and I’d done nothing wrong,’ he said.
‘They were yelling at me but, honestly, I don’t remember what they were saying. I was busy trying to get my camera working again. It was all a bit of a blur.
‘I’m okay, I’ll wear a hit. But obviously, it’s not ideal.’
Jason Edwards, a photographer for News Corp, had quickly joined David by the group’s car and claimed his equipment was also struck.
Australian Federal Police offered to discretely escort the women and their children from the airport. Neither woman was arrested or charged.
The group of women and children, formerly linked to ISIS fighters, spent seven years in al-Roj camp
David claimed he was yelled at by the two men escorting the women on Tuesday night
The flight from Doha to Melbourne (above) landed in Melbourne about 4.30pm
The flight to Sydney landed about 5.30pm and the women and children from al-Roj where escorted off the plane first while other passengers waited
David was the first to spot the cohort exiting out of a security door to the side of the main arrivals exit.
‘I saw a large trolley coming out a door where arrivals is – there’s another little emergency sort of door that can open up,’ he said.
‘I remembered that door from when Katy Perry came in 2019 so I was watching it and a group of people wearing hijabs quickly started filing out, followed by a second group.
‘Last time the group came out the main door but this time they used the sneaky door on the side.
‘By the time you see them from the main door, you’re going to miss them.’
He was shocked no police officers had walked out with the group.
‘There was no police presence, at all, when they came out. They came over after the cars had gone,’ David said.
‘I’m assuming they were around but they weren’t right with the group.
Four women (two above) and six children also arrived in Sydney
The group were escorted by police to a waiting car (above)
‘They got the A-list treatment. The same treatment Katy Parry got in 2019. They just walked straight out of the quiet door, no police on them.
‘The main reason they stood out was because they were in a hurry. Everyone’s in a hurry in departures but arrivals is usually slower.’
The arrival of four women and six children, formerly linked to ISIS, in Sydney on Tuesday night was a lot smoother.
Qatar Airways’ Sydney flight touched down about 5.30pm, following the arrival of the Melbourne flight about 4.30pm.
The four women who arrived in Sydney have been identified as Hyam Raad, Nesrine, Amina and Sumaya Zahab.
The cohort were spotted leaving arrivals shortly before 8pm.
Police assisted the group to waiting rental cars and a line of AFP officers shielded the women and children from cameras by forming a line in front of the vehicles.
The 19 arrivals on Tuesday, May 26, follows the arrival of several other women and children from al-Roj earlier this month.
The women and children in Melbourne used a discrete side door to leave the airport
On May 7 a total of four women and nine children landed in Australia.
Zahra Ahmad arrived in Melbourne alongside her mother Kawsar Abbas, 53, and sister Zeinab Ahmed, 31. The three women travelled with eight children.
Kawsar Abbas and Zeinab Ahmed were arrested at the airport and only Zahra was allowed to walk free.
Kawsar Abbas will face charges of enslavement, using a slave and engaging in slave trading. Zeinab Ahmed will be charged with enslavement and using a slave.
Janai Safar arrived in Sydney alongside her nine-year-old son.
She was taken to Mascot Police Station from the airport and charged with entering or remaining in declared areas, and being a member of a terrorist organisation.
Members of the Victoria and NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Teams confirmed none of the ISIS brides who arrived in Australia on Tuesday were charged on arrival.
Australian Federal Police said officers searched the group’s belongings and downloaded their devices to be forensically examined.
Police formed a human barrier between the arriving women and children and the media
None of the women in Sydney (above) or Melbourne were arrested
‘No one arriving within this cohort has been charged, however, investigations into the activities of Australians who travelled to Syria – including those who have since returned – are ongoing,’ AFP said in a statement.
In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government would not assist the women.
‘The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,’ he said.
‘These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation.
‘As we have said many times, any members of this cohort who have committed crimes can expect to face the full force of the law.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also addressed the matter during Question Time on Tuesday.
‘I make three points,’ Albanese said.
‘I have nothing but contempt for anyone who has any sympathy with ISIS as I hope everyone in this chamber would agree. This should not be partisanship.
‘Point two, the government has provided no assistance for these people.
‘Point three, any breaches of the law will mean these people will face the full force of the law, to the extent available, upon the advice of the security agencies.’
Just one Australian ISIS bride remains in Syria. She has been subject to a temporary exclusion order which bans her from entering Australia until February 2028.
Abby left Sydney for Syria at 18 years old. She attempted to join the group headed to Australia this week but was turned around at the airport.
She has a daughter with her who has health issued after suffering a shrapnel wound.
Her relatives have hired Birchgrove legal principal solicitor Moustafa Kheir to fight the exclusion order.
