Australia strips citizenship from alleged Islamic State recruiter
- Canberra claims Neil Prakash recruited men, women and children for the militant group and cancelled his passport in 2014
The Australian government has stripped citizenship from Melbourne-born Neil Prakash, who it claims is a top recruiter for Islamic State, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said on Saturday.
Prakash has been in Turkey on trial for terrorism-related activities since being caught there in October 2016 after leaving Islamic State-controlled territory.
He is wanted in Australia for terrorism-related activities including an alleged plot to behead a Melbourne police officer on Anzac Day.
“My first priority is and always will be the safety and security of all Australians,” Dutton said in a statement. “This government is determined to deal with foreign terrorist fighters as far from our shores as possible.”
Prakash, whose mother was Cambodian and father Fijian Indian, held both Australian and Fijian citizenship.
Under Australia’s citizenship laws, a dual national can lose their Australian citizenship if they act contrary to their allegiance to Australia by choosing to be involved in terrorism. Prakash is the 12th person to be stripped of citizenship.