Australia charges woman with terrorism over IS links

AI Summary

Australian authorities charged a 34-year-old woman with terrorism offenses related to Islamic State membership and traveling to a conflict zone in Syria between 2013 and 2014. The case highlights ongoing concerns about individuals from Western countries joining jihadist fighters in the Middle East.

Australian police charged on Thursday a woman linked to the Islamic State group with membership of a terrorist organisation and entering a known conflict zone. Hundreds of women from Western nations were lured to the Middle East as IS gained prominence in the early 2010s, in many cases following husbands who had signed up as jihadist fighters. A joint counter-terror police team said they will allege that the woman, 34, travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with a man to join Islamic State. The man is now believed to be imprisoned in the Middle East, they added.