Islamic State fighter Neil Prakash’s citizenship revoked

Neil Prakash, the Melbourne man who became a recruiter for Islamic State, has been stripped of his Australian citizenship.

Neil Prakash, the Melbourne man who became a recruiter for the Islamic State militant group, has been stripped of his Australian citizenship.

The 27-year-old was told of the Australian government’s decision on December 21, becoming the 12th dual national to have their citizenship annulled over associations with offshore terror groups, The Weekend Australian reports.

It’s understood Prakash holds Fijian citizenship through his father. Dual nationals can be stripped of their Australian citizenship if they act contrary to their allegiance to Australia, under section 35 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.

Australian-born terrorist Neil Prakash. Picture: AAP

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told The Weekend Australian his first priority “is and always will be the safety and security of all Australians”.

“This government is determined to deal with foreign terrorist fighters as far from our shores as possible,” he said.

“Islamic State is opposed to Australia, our interests, values, democratic beliefs, rights and liberties.”

Prakash’s passport was cancelled in 2014 and he was added to a sanctions list in 2015.

He is currently behind bars in Turkey over his terrorism-related activities, although Australia has been seeking to extradite him. A Turkish court rejected that request in July, but the country’s government has agreed to appeal the ruling.

Meanwhile, Prakash is facing a jail term of up to 15 years, and will appear in court on February 20. His plea to be released on bail failed last week.

He ended up in H-Type Prison in Gaziantep after he was caught trying to defect from Islamic State and sneak out of Syria across the Turkish border in 2016, thanks to a tip-off from Australia’s intelligence services.

Israel, Britain and the United States also want to question him.

Neil Prakash in court on September 27. Picture: News Corp Australia

Prakash has been implicated in at least two terror plots on Australian soil, including the Anzac Day plot to behead a Melbourne police officer.

“To be in the service of such a terrorist organisation, as Mr Prakash was, is to act inconsistently with your allegiance to Australia and we will do everything we can to ensure he is brought to account for his crimes,” Mr Dutton said.

“Under Labor, terrorists couldn’t be strip­ped of their citizenship. This government has now stripped Aust­ralian citizenship from 12, and our country is safer as a result.”

The revocation of Prakash’s citizenship does not affect his children, who still have access to consular assistance and the right to return to Australia.

“If these children seek to return to Australia, authorities will carefully manage their return as they would with any children exposed to the terrible effects of violent extremism,” Mr Dutton said.

“It is essential we identify and mitigate any potential security risks in order to protect our communities.”

Prakash was long considered Australia’s most wanted terrorist, having travelled to Syria in November of 2013, where he appeared in Islamic State propaganda videos, helped recruit more extremists and fought with the terrorist group.

Originally published as Islamic State fighter Neil Prakash’s citizenship revoked