Furious Ardern lashes out at Australia for ‘exporting problems to NZ’ over Isis suspect’s citizenship

Jacinda Ardern has accused Australia of “exporting its problems” after the country cancelled the citizenship of a woman who left her Melbourne home to join Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

The 26-year-old suspect was a dual New Zealand-Australian citizen until Canberra revoked the latter in 2019, when she was detained in Syria after IS’s last remaining territory was taken by US-backed forces.

The woman now faces deportation to New Zealand after she and her two children were caught on Monday night trying to enter Turkey “illegally” from Syria, according to a statement by the Turkish defence ministry on Twitter.

It is believed the woman flew to Syria in 2014 – with Ms Ardern pointing out that she travelled “from Australia, on an Australian passport”. Her family left New Zealand when the woman was six years old and have been “residents in Australia” ever since, Ms Ardern said at a press conference in Wellington on Tuesday.

The visibly irritated leader told reporters she had asked Australian PM Scott Morrison to work with New Zealand on the issue, but last year she was informed the woman’s Australian citizenship had been cancelled.

“Our very strong view on behalf of New Zealand and New Zealanders was that this individual was clearly most appropriately dealt with by Australia,” she said.

“That is where their family resides. That is where their links reside. And that is the place from which they departed to Syria.”

Ms Ardern also said that since she was informed of Australia’s decision to “unilaterally revoke” the woman’s citizenship, NZ officials had “continually raised the issue” with their Pacific cousin, to tell them it “was wrong”.

“If the shoe were on the other foot, we would take responsibility,” she added, “because that would be the right thing to do. I ask Australia to do the same.”

Responding to Ms Ardern’s claim that New Zealand was “tired of having Australia export its problems”, Mr Morrison said his job was to protect Australia’s national security “interests”.

He added that, according to the country’s legislation, any dual citizen found to be engaging in terrorism could automatically have their Australian citizenship revoked.

“We do not want to see terrorists who fought with terrorism organisations enjoying privileges of citizenship, which I think they forfeit the second they engage as an enemy of our country,” he said.

Mr Morrison was scheduled to speak to Ms Ardern later on Tuesday.

The Australian government has previously cancelled the citizenships of at least 17 people believed to have travelled to Syria to join IS, which it is allowed to do so long as the person is over 14 and the home affairs minister is satisfied they will not become stateless.

Zehra Duman, a duel Australian-Turkish citizen, infamously appealed the cancellation of her Australian citizenship in 2020, after she escaped from Syria’s al Hawl detention camp and crossed into Turkey.

She remains inside a Turkish prison, serving a three year sentence for her involvement with IS.