ustralia who was recently repatriated from the Al-Roj camp in Syria has appeared in a regional court in London on charges of joining Daesh to be with her husband, a senior fighter and recruiter.
On Wednesday, 31-year-old Mariam Raad showed up to court in Young, New South Wales, while hiding her face behind a pair of oversized sunglasses.
She could spend up to ten years behind bars if she is found guilty. The prosecution is planning to gather evidence like bank records and phone logs.
The Australian mother-of-four, age 31, allegedly traveled to Syria to be with her late husband, a former mathematics teacher who rose to prominence as a Daesh recruiter. Her husband died in 2018.
As the terror group crumbled, Raad was captured and taken to the Al-Roj camp in northeastern Syria, which is now home to thousands of former Daesh members and their families.
After enduring three years in the camp, she and three other women and thirteen children were repatriated to Australia in October of last year as part of a government mission.
Since her return, Raad has made Young her home. But in January, she was arrested and charged with violating federal law by entering Daesh-controlled territory in Syria.
The government will try to show that Raad knew her husband was a member of a terrorist organization.
During the brief hearing, she said nothing. After her attorneys requested an eight-week adjournment, the next court date was set for May 10.
