‘When you are young, you do so many mistakes’: Father of ‘ISIS bride’ says he is thankful to Australia

The father of an ISIS bride has said he is thankful to Australia after a second group of women and children linked to the terrorist group arrived in Melbourne and Sydney overnight.

Zakaria Zahab, the father of Nesrine Zahab, expressed his relief and gratitude that his daughter was reunited with family at their home in Sydney’s south west in time to celebrate Eid.

“When you are young, you do so many mistakes, you don’t get charged [for] those mistakes,” He told 9News.

Zakariah Zahab told 9News he is grateful to Australia after his daughter touched down in Sydney last night. (9News)

“This is not the end of your life because you’ve done that mistake, you restart again.”

Zahab was part of a group of women with alleged links to the Islamic State who arrived in Australia last night.

Two other women who arrived in Sydney last night are also part of the Zahab family.

She was 21 when she arrived in Syria and has maintained that she was in the nation for humanitarian purposes, trying to help refugees, before she was inadvertently caught up within the Islamic State-controlled zone.

Her father said, “of course”, he is worried that she will be charged like the other women who arrived in Australia earlier this month.

“If my sister or any of the other sisters have done anything wrong, then they will be faced with the full force of the law,” Nesrine’s brother, Mohamad Zahab, told 9News.

Mohamad Zahab told 9News that if his sister is found guilty she should face the full force of the law. (9News)

The second group of ‘ISIS brides’ touches down

A group of four women and their children arrived at Sydney Airport just after 5.30pm yesterday, having left the Al-Roj refugee camp late last week and travelled via Damascus.

Another group of two women and their children arrived at Melbourne Airport about 4.30pm.

So-called ISIS brides and their children leave Sydney International Airport on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, after arriving on a flight from Doha. (Sitthixay Ditthavong)

Counter-terrorism police searched the groups’ belongings and downloaded information from their devices “for investigative purposes”.

“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,” the NSW and Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Teams said in a statement.

“Police and the JCTTs will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure community safety is upheld.

“The safety of our communities remains a priority for all agencies.”

Domestic charges were laid against three Islamic State-linked brides who landed in Australia earlier this month.

One bride from the group that arrived was left behind after she was subjected to a temporary exclusion order.

So-called ISIS brides and their children leave Sydney International Airport on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, after arriving on a flight from Doha. (Sitthixay Ditthavong)

An exclusion order bans a person from entering Australia for two years on national security grounds, even if they are an Australian citizen.

It is understood there are very few, if any, Australians left in the Al-Roj refugee camp.

The federal government has insisted it has not assisted any of the women in their repatriation and said security agencies have been preparing for their return since 2014 and have plans in place to “manage and monitor” them.

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A Qatar flight touches down at Melbourne Airport at about 4.30pm. (9News)

“I have nothing but contempt for anyone who has any sympathy for ISIS,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday.

“Any breaches of the law will mean these people will face the full force of the law.”

The cost of monitoring and rehabilitating the returning citizens and their families could be as high as $2 million per year.

“The government has not and will not provide any assistance to this group,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said.

Police patrol the arrivals hall at Sydney International Airport. (Sitthixay Ditthavong)

“These are people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation and to place their children in an unspeakable situation.

“The priority of the government, as always, is the safety of the Australian community.”

The arrival of the first cohort

The earlier cohort of four women and nine children arrived back in Australia earlier in May after leaving the same camp in Syria.

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A group of supporters shield arrived people with links to Islamic State as they arrive at Melbourne Airport on May 07, 2026 . (Getty)

One of the women was arrested and charged with terror offences, including charges of entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation, after arriving in Sydney.

A further two women were arrested in Melbourne and charged with slavery offences allegedly committed during their time in Syria.

The brides who followed their ISIS partners to Syria more than a decade ago have faced a long journey in their return to Australia.

The women and their children have been held in refugee camps in north-eastern Syria for years, following the collapse of ISIS, and recently failed in an attempt to leave the camp for Australia earlier this year.

Australia repatriated two other groups of women and children who were living in the Al Roj camp in 2019 and 2022.