Freed jihadi nurse arrested in Thomastown

A Melbourne nurse who ditched his wife and five kids to aid foreign fighters in Syria has been charged with breaching control orders, including viewing banned social media content.

Aussie Jihadi Adam Brookman was arrested in a major federal police operation in Thomastown. Photo: Facebook

A Melbourne nurse who admitted to aiding foreign fighters in Syria is in trouble with the law again.

Adam Brookman was arrested in a major federal police operation in Thomastown on Friday.

The 45-year-old was charged with eight counts of breaching a control order.

It’s alleged he viewed prohibited electronic media and social media content before deleting it from his devices.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

In July Brookman was placed under a strict control order requiring him to wear a tracking device, not leave Victoria, not possess or purchase firearms and to stay off social media due to fears he could commit an act of terror in Australia.

An Australian Federal Police spokeswoman said the 45-year-old’s arrest was “planned” and that there is no threat to the community.

“The AFP, Victoria Police and partners work closely to protect the Australian community and ensure public safety,” the spokeswoman said.

Brookman ditched his wife and five kids in 2014 to follow his Islamic beliefs and travel to Syria where he provided medical care to militant fighters and took part in weapons training.

Authorities placed him under a control order upon his return to Australia in 2015.

Such orders are usually slapped on convicted terrorists to enable authorities to monitor them once they are released back into the community.

While Brookman has not been convicted on terrorism, a person who has “engaged in a hostile activity in a foreign country” can be subjected to such an order, which can include restrictions on movement, communication and use of technology including the internet.

Brookman was previously charged with terrorism offences as the prosecution accused him for working for Islamic State, but those charges were dropped because a key witness was “no longer available”.

A court previously heard Brookman has shown no signs of remorse over his actions, has not renounced his commitment to violent jihad and did not take part in deradicalisation programs.

In July, AFP commander Sandra Booth deemed Brookman as a risk of “committing, facilitating, or supporting a terrorist attack in Australia or overseas”.

A court hearing revealed authorities had concerns over his influence on others and that he had recently established a “supposed intimate relationship” via letters with a prisoner who was a convicted terrorist.