An Australian woman linked to the Islamic State who had been living in the community for months since returning from Syria has been charged with terrorism offences.
The 34-year-old Melbourne woman, who returned from Syria via Lebanon with her family in September 2025, was charged by the AFP under Operation Kurrajong.
Police allege she went to a declared conflict zone and joined the terrorist organisation the Islamic State, or ISIS, against Australian law.
She is expected to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Both offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.Â
It will be alleged the woman travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014.
She was detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held with her family at the al-Hawl detention camp in north-east Syria.
The 34-year-old returned to Australia with another woman.
They were not part of the recently returned cohort of so-called "ISIS brides" from the Al Roj camp, also located in Syria.
The AFP described the cases as "highly complex matters" and said gathering admissible evidence was challenging in conflict zones.
Any evidence needed to be deemed admissible and meeting legal standards, federal police added.
Two groups of women and their children returned to Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday after years of detention in the camp for families of killed or imprisoned Islamic State fighters.
Operation Kurrajong is a joint operation of the AFP, domestic spy agency ASIO, and state and territory police focused on investigating individuals alleged to have travelled to Syria during the reign of the Islamic State caliphate.
"There are consequences for people's actions, and that is the case, as we have seen, where there are a number of Australian citizens who have been charged with very serious offences," Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told reporters.
Three women from a previously returned cohort were arrested and charged in mid-May.
One woman from the group of Australian citizens remains in Syria under an exclusion order, which is due to expire in 2028.