A woman accused of travelling to Syria and joining Islamic State has renounced the terror group and violent jihad, her lawyer has told a Melbourne court. Rayann El Houli, 34, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday, where her barrister, Peter Morrissey SC, sought an adjournment of her bail application.
Morrissey told the court the prosecution had raised concerns about El Houli's risk to the community, claiming there was a lack of evidence she had renounced IS. He said he needed more time to obtain relevant material but was instructed to state: 'She wants nothing to do with it – not now, not in the future, not directly and not indirectly, not for herself and not for the people she loves, and especially not for her children.'
El Houli was charged by Australian Federal Police on Thursday with travelling to a declared conflict zone and joining Islamic State. Police allege she travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014, was detained by Kurdish forces in 2019, and held at the al-Hawl detention camp before returning to Australia in September via Lebanon.
Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan outlined allegations including that El Houli intentionally travelled to Syria to join IS, married more than one member, and expressed radicalised views supporting martyrdom and killing non-believers. Police allege she only left after IS was defeated, not due to a change in views.
Morrissey said his client's renunciation was evidenced by his statement and her return to Australia. He noted she showed her face in court as a 'matter of good faith' after appearing in a burqa on Thursday. He accepted she had not yet engaged in anti-terrorism programs but said she would be willing to undertake any suggested courses. The defence plans to engage a risk assessment expert.
Hannan supported that course, calling the alleged views 'extremely concerning' and noting the seriousness of the charges. The bail application was adjourned to a date to be fixed, with El Houli remanded in custody.
