Woman charged with joining Islamic State 'renounces' terror group

A sketch of Rayann El Houli from her court appearance last Thursday. (Supplied: Anita Lester) Melbourne woman Rayann El Houli has faced a bail hearing after being charged with travelling to Syria to join Islamic State. Her lawyer says she was a "highly-traumatised individual" who wanted it known that she did not support Islamic State. Ms El Houli is facing charges of entering a declared area and being a member of a terrorist organisation. Link copiedShareShare articleA Melbourne woman charged with terrorism offences wants nothing to do Islamic State and has renounced any allegiance to the group, her lawyer says. Rayann El Houli, 34, faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday to apply for bail, following her arrest last week. Prosecutors allege Ms El Houli travelled to Syria to join Islamic State in 2013 or 2014, and returned to Australia last year. Ms El Houli's barrister Peter Morrissey SC said his client was a "highly-traumatised individual" who wanted it known that she did not support Islamic State. "She renounces ISIS and violent jihad. She wants nothing to do with it, not now, not in the future. Not directly or indirectly," he said. "Not for herself , not for the people she loves, and specifically not for her children. "She saw running a law-abiding and loving household as the way forward for her children and for herself." Rayann El Houli, 34, was arrested in Melbourne on May 28. (Supplied) Ms El Houli is facing charges of entering a declared area and being a member of a terrorist organisation. Both offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail. Monday's bail application was adjourned to give the defence time to organise expert witnesses to testify. Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan, quoting from prosecutors' legal submissions, said Ms El Houli was accused of travelling to Syria and marrying a number of Islamic State members. She allegedly expressed radical views supporting terrorism, tried to indoctrinate her young children, and attempted to recruit people to go to Syria. Magistrate Hannan said she would want to hear evidence about Ms El Houli's beliefs and motivations, and what took place when she was held in a detention camp and managed to escape. The magistrate said questions would be asked of Ms El Houli's lack of participation in anti-terrorism programs. Mr Morrissey said his client was willing to undertake the programs but had been hamstrung by a potential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Magistrate Hannan said the charges were "very serious" and she would need to weigh up risks to the community when deciding whether to grant bail. On Monday, Ms Al Houli sat in the court dock wearing a blue hijab, which did not obscure her face. This was in stark contrast to last week when she wore a niqab, where only her eyes could be seen. Mr Morrissey said the change in attire was "an act of good faith" so that she could be visible to people in the courtroom. Ms El Houli was remanded in custody, with no date set for the bail application to resume. The ABC understands Ms El Houli returned with another woman and four children from Lebanon in September 2025. They returned independently of community efforts to repatriate Australian citizens from displaced persons camps in Syria. AFP Deputy Commissioner National Security Hilda Sirec said in a briefing last week that Victoria Police were continuing to investigate the other woman. Police said Ms El Houli had been detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 and held with her family in the al-Hawl displaced persons camp in northern Syria. The ABC understands Rayann El Houli escaped the al-Hawl refugee camp with her sister and children, and paid a smuggler to get them into Lebanon. The pair's mother then met them in Lebanon to care for the family, while the children underwent DNA testing to confirm their identity. Rayann El Houli was part of a group that escaped from the al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria. (Reuters: Ali Hashisho) The family then successfully applied for Australian passports, enabling them to return to Melbourne. Two separate groups of women, referred to by media as "ISIS brides", have returned to Sydney and Melbourne this month along with their children. Three of the returnees who arrived in early May have been charged with various offences. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a Senate Estimates hearing in Canberra last week that evidence critical to pressing charges against Ms El Houli emerged only after other women returned from Syria this month. "That domestic six-month investigation, plus the recent return of four women and their children from Syria three weeks ago, has collected new, relevant evidence," she said.

Woman charged with joining Islamic State 'renounces' terror group

Key takeaways

More in international