Neil Prakash: Why did the Australian authorities strip him of his nationality?
Wednesday 02/January/2019 - 01:27 PM
Ahmed Adel
Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton announced on Saturday that
the Australian government has stripped Neil Prakash, the recruitment officer of
the terrorist group Daesh, of his Australian nationality.
With reference to nationality laws in Australia, a dual national can lose
Australian nationality by virtue of a terrorist act, and thus contrasts with
the country's approach to fighting extremist organizations.
Neil Prakash was born in Melbourne, from a Cambodian mother and father of Fiji.
He holds Australian and Fiji citizenship and is a member of the Cambodian
terrorist organization. In August 2012, Prakash converted from Buddhism to
Islam after visiting Cambodia (his birthplace). He attended meetings of the
terrorist organization at the Al-Furqan Library and its prayer center in
Melbourne.
In 2013, Neil traveled to Syria via Malaysia, stationed in the city of Raqqa (a
stronghold at that time). He then declared his full loyalty to the terrorist
organization and participated in several battles against the Syrian army. In
October 2014, his passport was canceled by the Australian authorities after
knowing his connection to Daesh.
On August 19, 2015, he was issued an arrest warrant by the Australian police,
charged with membership of the Daesh organization, and then carried out
numerous extremist operations in Syria and Iraq.
In November 2016, Neil was arrested in Turkey after trying to cross the Syrian
border into Turkey using a false name. On 25 November, he was arrested by the
Turkish police. Australia then filed a request for extradition under an
Australian Federal Police order for allegedly recruiting and being involved in
the cutting-off of a policeman's head in Melbourne in 2015.
Prakash is awaiting trial in Turkey on terrorism charges after refusing to send
him to Australia for trial.
