Islamic State jihadi Neil Prakash could face court in Australia despite losing citizenship

Australia still wants jihadi Neil Prakash to face court on terrorism charges as his extradition appeal continues. This is how his fate could turn.

Melbourne-born jihadi Neil Prakash Picture: Supplied

Exclusive: Australia is seeking to have Islamic State jihadi Neil Prakash extradited to face terrorism charges which could see him jailed for life.

News Corp can reveal the rejection by the Turkish courts four years ago of Australia’s extradition application remains under appeal.

If the appeal is successful, Prakash, the Melbourne-born jihadi who became an online propagandist and recruiter for Islamic State and urged others to carry out attacks in Melbourne and Sydney, could be brought to Australia and tried.

This is despite the Australian Government revoking his Australian citizenship in 2018 after the Turkish courts rejected the original request to extradite him.

Prakash has been released from prison in Turkey after serving about half of a 7.5 jail term on local terrorism charges, and is currently held in an immigration detention centre.

His legal status remains unclear and he appears to be stateless, with Australia, Turkey and Fiji, the country where his father was born, disowning him.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, said: “Mr Prakash remains subject to a formal extradition request from Australia.’’

Neil Prakash urged terrorist attacks in Australia in a Islamic State propaganda video, in which the top Australian in the group also detailed his journey to jihad. Picture: Supplied

Born to a Cambodian/Australian mother and a Fijian father, Prakash, a Buddhist, converted to Islam and joined Islamic State, taking the nom de guerre Abu Khaled al-Cambodi. He joined other Australian foreign fighters in Syria, where he ran online accounts glorifying Islamic State and providing advice to would-be fellow jihadis.

Australia issued a warrant for his arrest in August 2015, on charges of becoming a member of a terrorist organisation, advocating terrorism, providing support to a terrorist organisation and incursions into foreign countries with the intention of engaging in hostile activities.

The now-30-year-old Prakash was arrested by Turkish authorities in October 2016 trying to sneak across the border from Syria as the self-declared Islamic State caliphate began to crumble.

In 2018, the Kilis Criminal Court rejected Australia’s extradition request and briefly ordered Prakash be freed from the maximum-security jail in Gaziantep, where he was held, before overturning his release an hour later and charging him with domestic terrorism charges, on which he was later found guilty.

The Turkish authorities, on behalf of the Australian Government, lodged an appeal against the decision, which remains unresolved four years later.

Senator Cash’s spokesman said Australia’s extradition request “remains current while the Turkish appeal proceedings remain ongoing.

“If Mr Prakash is eventually surrendered to Australia, he faces prosecution for a number of very serious terrorism offences. As the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further,’’ the spokesman said.