Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says a Perth man who served as an Islamic State doctor should be barred from returning to Australia, as a senior government minister has declared the man should “rot in jail” following reports he is still alive in Iraq.<\/p>\n
The Australian has reported paediatrician Tareq Kamleh, known as “Doctor Jihad”, is being held in prison in Baghdad but hoping to return home, despite being previously presumed dead.<\/p>\n
He is among a group of Australian men linked to the Islamic State group reportedly being held in Iraqi prisons, who could attempt to return to Australia if released.<\/p>\n
The newspaper details court documents that reportedly show Kamleh did not die in the final siege of Raqqa in 2017 as his family previously believed.<\/p>\n
Mr Taylor said Kamleh “shouldn’t come back” and urged the government to “pull out all stops” to prevent his return.<\/p>\n
He said the government should refuse to issue Kamleh a passport, and hand him a temporary exclusion order (TEO).<\/p>\n
‘ISIS bride’ court challenge<\/a><\/p>\n Legal experts say the Commonwealth would have risked losing a High Court challenge to counterterrorism laws if it stopped the Australian woman from returning home.<\/p>\n The government has repeatedly said it cannot deny passports to citizens, but insists it will not assist the return of the men.<\/p>\n TEOs can be used to temporarily exclude a citizen from returning to Australia, but the government cannot legally prevent a citizen from returning indefinitely.<\/p>\n It is a tool generally used to buy security agencies time to prepare for the return of a person who they may wish to charge with a crime or monitor.<\/p>\n Kamleh has already been charged by federal police for terrorism offences, including joining and recruiting for IS.<\/p>\n While the government has not confirmed Kamleh is alive, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has said they “do not want this person back in Australia”.<\/p>\n “As far as I’m concerned, that person can rot in jail,” she said.<\/p>\n Government will not provide assistance to IS-linked Australians<\/p>\n In a statement, a spokesperson said the government had not and would not provide assistance to “any Australian who made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation”.<\/p>\n “We’ve been very clear that for some individuals in this cohort, returning to Australia would mean facing the full force of the law,” it said.<\/p>\n “The safety of the Australian community is this government’s highest priority.”<\/p>\n