Two Former IS Supporters Brought Back to Austria
On behalf of the judiciary, "the Salzburger Maria G. and her two minor sons as well as another Austrian citizen with her minor son" had to be brought back to Austria, the authority confirmed to APA on Sunday a report from local media.
According to the reports, the second Austrian is the Viennese Evelyne T. The women and their children were reportedly flown to Vienna on a scheduled flight from Iraq. Most recently, both women and their children were in the internment camp Camp Roj in Syria.
No Austrians Left in Syrian Camps
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the judicial authorities are now in charge. "The costs of the repatriation will be charged to the repatriated women," it continued. "According to current knowledge, there are no longer any Austrian citizens in camps in Syria."
Maria G. joined the "Islamic State" (IS) around eleven years ago at the age of 17 and had two sons with an IS fighter who is now deceased. In 2019, she was captured during combat operations against IS, and from September 2020 she was in Camp Roj.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has offered since 2019 to repatriate Maria G.'s minor sons, according to its own statements. Maria G. consistently refused this. The Federal Administrative Court finally ordered the repatriation of Maria G. and her two sons on October 10, 2024.
FPÖ Criticizes Repatriation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in its statement that such an operation "is always associated with high security risks for the operation team and also for those to be repatriated." The volatile security situation in the area "significantly complicated and delayed the repatriation."
"While the ÖVP repeatedly claims in the media to want to suspend family reunification, in reality, they are even bringing IS brides back to Austria," criticized FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz on Saturday evening in a statement. "This is a severe blow to all terror victims and at the same time the final death blow to the last credibility of the ÖVP."
(APA/Red)
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