The 28-year-old was charged with preparing to leave Australia in December 2014 to fight with Kurdish militia groups

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A Melbourne man has been charged over an alleged attempt to travel to Iraq to fight against Islamic State (Isis).

The 28-year-old from Epping was arrested in December attempting to board a flight bound for Qatar with “military-style clothing and equipment” in his luggage, federal police said in a statement.

He allegedly said his final destination was northern Iraq, where Kurdish militia groups are involved in combat against Isis.

On Tuesday he was charged with preparing for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, one of the new offences introduced last year by the federal government to stem the flow of Australians to the conflict in Iraq and Syria. It carries a maximum life sentence.

Two Australians have been killed fighting with the array of Kurdish groups involved in the conflict, including Gold Coast man Reece Harding, a member of the People’s Protection Movement, who was killed late in June.

Harding’s mother said it was “farcical” for Australians to be charged for fighting in Iraq and Syria regardless of the group they joined.

A Northern Territory union official, Matthew Gardiner, allegedly also joined a Kurdish group in the region and returned on 5 April. He was detained and questioned on returning to Darwin but released.

Melbourne man Khamis Gewargis Khamis was also revealed in February to have joined an Assyrian militia group fighting in Iraq.

Australian federal police Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan said it was illegal and dangerous to join or actively support any group involved in the conflict.

“There have been numerous warnings against participating in the current conflict in Syria and Iraq, and while this individual did not actually travel, people need to be aware that actively planning and undertaking preparations to travel to the conflict area still constitutes a criminal offence,” Gaughan said.



“Obtaining appropriate evidence to put before the courts in matters such as this is a challenging and time-consuming process, but the AFP and its partner agencies will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute individuals who choose to ignore the repeated warnings of the government, police and the community.”