Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton revokes Islamic State fighter Neil Prakash’s citizenship

Peter Dutton has explained why he revoked Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash’s Australian citizenship, as he dubbed him a “dangerous individual”.

Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash will never again set foot in Australia as a free man after the Government stripped him of his Australian citizenship.

Melbourne-born Prakash, 27, was notified on December 21 that he was no longer an Australian citizen.

He is the 12th person to lose their Australian citizenship after joining a terrorist organisation, and the first person ever to be confirmed by the Government as having had his Australian citizenship ripped away due to his terrorist activities.

The three young children Prakash claims to have fathered with two jihadi brides are not impacted by the decision and retain their Australian citizenship.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told News Corp the Government was determined to deal with foreign terrorist fighters “as far from our shores as possible.’’

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

“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.’’

In a press conference today, Mr Dutton said that Mr Prakash was a “very dangerous individual” who would “hopefully won’t see the light of day for a long time”.

“Peope should recognise if given the opportunity, Mr Prakash would harm and kill Australians,” he said.

Neil Prakash as a teenager.

Born in Melbourne in May 1991 to a Cambodian mother and a Fijian father, Prakash held dual Australian/Fijian citizenship.

It’s thought the Fijians have been notified of the revocation of his Australian citizenship.

Prakash has been languishing in the H-Type Prison in Gaziantep, Turkey, since October 2016, when he was caught defecting from Islamic State and sneaking out of Syria across the Turkish border.

He was arrested by Turkish police and border officials after a tip-off from Australian intelligence services.

The revocation of his citizenship means he will no longer receive consular assistance from the Australian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, and will not receive prison visits from consular officials.

He is facing domestic charges against the state of Turkey of being a member of a terrorist organisation.

Neil Prakash in a propaganda ISIS video.

Given he has admitted joining Islamic State, observers in Turkey expect he will eventually be sentenced to a likely 7.5 years jail term.

Upon his release from jail, Turkey will have the option of deporting him to Fiji, or sending him back across the border to Syria, a move that would could effectively sentence him to death, with Islamic State still active in Syria, and executing any defectors they can catch.

In July, the Turkish courts rejected an application by Australia to extradite him to face terrorism charges on home soil.

The Turkish Government has agreed, on behalf of the Australian Government, to appeal the ruling.

His arrest warrant is still active, which means that in the unlikely event the Turkish courts do not convict him and turn him loose, the Australian Government can still have him arrested through an Interpol Red Notice if he attempted to cross a border.

Neil Prakash in a propaganda ISIS video.

“Australia’s extradition request will remain in place until the conclusion of any appeal proceedings and, subject to the outcome of the appeal, the conclusion of any criminal proceedings against Mr Prakash, including any custodial sentence a Turkish court might impose upon him,’’ a spokeswoman for Mr Dutton said.

“The cessation of an Australian’s citizenship under section 35 does not affect … (Prakash’s) children’s Australian citizenship, access to consular assistance or 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.

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

The Government has never before confirmed the names of those who have had their citizenship stripped, although Lebanese-Australian Khaled Sharrouf was thought to have lost his citizenship before he was killed in an air strike in Syria in August 2017.

Australian Isis recruiter Neil Prakash after his arrest by Turkish border guards. Picture: The Guardian

“My first priority is and always will be to the safety and security of all Australians,’’ Mr Dutton said.

“Under Labor, terrorists couldn’t be stripped off their citizenship. This Government has now stripped Australian citizenship from 12 (terrorists) and our country is safer as a result.’’

Prakash went to Syria in 2013, from where he urged others to carry out lone wolf attacks on Australian soil.

Considered Australia’s most wanted terrorist, he has connections to a number of other Australian jihadis, including Numan Haider, 18, who was shot dead after attacking two police officers at Endeavour Hills in September 2014.

He was also an associate of Sevdet Besim, who plotted to behead a police officer in Melbourne on Anzac Day in 2015.

The Coalition Government passed new laws in late 2015 to allow Australian citizenship to be stripped from dual national terrorists who went overseas to join terror groups.

About 230 Australians including dual nationals are thought to have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight for, or support, Islamic State, with around 100 killed.