Court grants ‘ISIS bride’ Mariam Raad conditional bail

Mariam Raad will be released on conditional bail to reappear in March after a Griffith court found her children were unable to ‘function coherently’ without her.

Mariam Raad, who returned to Australia last year, must adhere to good behaviour without offence and report to Young police on a weekly basis. Picture: Four Corners

The “ISIS bride” charged with ­entering an area controlled by ­Islamic State has been granted bail due to “exceptional circumstances” relating to her mental health and the wellbeing of her children.

Mariam Raad was arrested by officers from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team composed of Australian Federal Police and NSW Police on Thursday and kept under police custody overnight.

Police allege Ms Raad, the wife of ISIS’s former star Australian recruiter, Muhammad Zahab, travelled to Syria willingly and was aware of her husband’s activities.

Zahab, who rose to become ISIS’s most senior Australian fighter, convinced dozens of relatives to join him in Syria.

He is ­believed to have been killed in an air strike in 2018.

Ms Raad had been under close surveillance by police and security agencies since being repatriated from Syria in October and taking up residence in Young, in south central NSW.

The 31-year-old faced Griffith Local Court via audiovisual link from a Wagga Wagga holding cell on Friday morning.

Ms Raad’s barrister, Michael Ainsworth, told the court that Ms Raad and her children suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their time in Syria with the children unable to “function coherently” without their mother.

“There’s significant material being supplied by Mr Ainsworth … in relation to the defendant’s and the children’s physical mental health conditions and other matters,” Griffith registrar J. Bretag surmised.

“The children especially are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and they have been suffering the physical ­effects of poor nutrition while they were over in Syria and other ­places.

“They require mothering – the children require medical care.”

Mr Bretag found that the children were “particularly reliant on the mother and can’t function coherently without (her)” and ­for that reason should be granted bail.

“After having some sort of risk assessment done in relation to what threat she may pose … and balancing the requirements under commonwealth legislation … I will be prepared to grant bail,” he said.

Under her bail conditions, Ms Raad must adhere to good behaviour without offence and must ­report to Young police weekly. She cannot be within a kilometre of an international departure point, cannot apply for a new passport or any travel documents and must surrender any current travel documents to the AFP.

Ms Raad is also prohibited from registering a telecommunication device, such as a mobile phone, under any other name and must provide her current device details to the AFP.

Ms Raad has been prohibited from communicating with any ­incarcerated persons including people suspected of being ­associated with terrorist groups and is explicitly prohibited from contacting Mariam Dabbousy, another repatriated ISIS bride.

She cannot possess any firearms, materials to make firearms or chemical weapons.

Ms Raad and her children – two boys born in Australia and two girls born in Syria – spent three years in refugee camps in northeast Syria.

Other members of the group of 17 women and children repatriated last year may also be charged, The Australian understands.

The offence with which Ms Raad has been charged carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ ­imprisonment.

Ms Raad will be released on conditional bail to reappear at Young Local Court on March 15, 2023.