The AFP Community Liaison Teams have been working behind the scenes for some time, meeting and listening to impacted communities.
But today, I want to provide community reassurance to every Australian because it is important they know how advanced and thorough the investigations are into individuals who are alleged to have travelled to Syria during the ISIS caliphate.
Operational planning for the return of these individuals started in 2015 and then were formalised under an overarching coordination Operation named Kurrajong.
ASIO, the AFP and state and territory law enforcement partners have been working together on Operation Kurrajong through the Joint Counter Terrorism Teams.
Joint Counter Terrorism Teams include some of the most experienced national security investigators and analysts in our country.
For more than a decade, investigators - when possible - have been collecting evidence and information in Syria at a time when Syria was a war zone with no functioning government.
That evidence and information was to determine whether Australians who travelled to Syria may have committed Commonwealth offences, including terrorism offences such as entering, or remaining in, declared areas, and crimes against humanity offences, such as engaging in slave trading.
I will not flag how many individuals will be arrested, or when they will be arrested, to protect a number of investigations.
However, I will confirm these points.
- Some individuals will be arrested and charged;
- Some will face continued investigations if they arrive in Australia;
- Children who return in the cohort will be asked to undergo community integration programs, therapeutic support and Countering Violent Extremism programs.
I won't comment any further, only to say, the AFP and our partners, where possible, will provide updates at the appropriate times for two reasons - Australians need to know law enforcement and security agencies are doing everything they can to keep them safe, and that individuals are held to account for their actions.
