Australia vows to jail returning foreign fighters

SYDNEY // Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday warned Australians fighting with extremists in the Middle East they face lengthy jail terms if they return home as the government prepares to introduce new laws to counter terrorism.

“My unambiguous message to all Australians who fight with terrorist groups is that you will be arrested, prosecuted and jailed for a very long time,” Mr Abbott told parliament.

Australia is targeting domestic extremists as well as citizens who fight overseas with violent militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

“Our laws are being changed to make it easier to keep potential terrorists off our streets,” Mr Abbott said after last Thursday’s security crackdown – the largest in Australian history – which saw more than 800 police officers raid some 30 homes.

The government said it had foiled a plot by ISIL militants to carry out gruesome “demonstration executions” in Australia, and charged a 22-year-old man with planning a terrorist act.

Sixty Australians are known to be fighting in Iraq and Syria, more than 20 have already returned to Australia while at least another 100 actively support the extremists, Mr Abbott said.

The government considers current legislation inadequate to fight the threats from groups such as the ISIL and is pushing two bills through parliament this week.

One of the bills will give security agencies greater powers and another will deal with the threat from fighters returning from combat with extremists abroad.

“Legislation to create new terrorist offences and to extend existing powers to monitor or to detain terror suspects will be introduced this week,” the prime minister said.

Under the new powers, it will be illegal for an individual to intentionally counsel, promote, encourage or urge a terrorist act, according to Attorney-General George Brandis.

The bills will also allow for bans on visits to cities or regions where terror groups are declared to be active. People travelling to such “no-go areas” without a valid reason could face prosecution.

“For some time to come, Australians will have to endure more security than we’re used to, and more inconvenience than we’d like,” Mr Abbot said.

“Creating new offences that are harder to beat on a technicality may be a small price to pay for saving lives and for maintaining the social fabric of an open, free and multicultural nation.”

Canberra has committed 600 troops and aircraft to the US-led coalition gearing up to destroy ISIL in Iraq.

* Agence France-Press