Neil Prakash, the Melbourne man who became a recruiter for Islamic State, has been stripped of his Australian citizenship.

The 27-year-old was told of the Australian government’s decision on 21 December, becoming the 12th dual national to have their citizenship annulled over associations with offshore terror groups.

It is understood Prakash holds Fijian citizenship through his father.

The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, said the government’s priority was the safety and security of Australians.

“Dual citizens who choose to be involved in terrorism forfeit the privileges of Australian citizenship, and I remain committed to enforcing the legal provisions that remove them,” Dutton said in a statement on Saturday.

The former rapper from Melbourne has been linked to several Australia-based attack plans and has featured prominently in propaganda videos exhorting Australians to join Isis. The Australian government has alleged that Prakash actively recruited Australian men, women and children and encouraged acts of militancy.

His passport was cancelled in 2014 and he was added to a sanctions list in 2015.

Prakash was captured in Turkey in October 2016 trying to sneak across the border from Syria using fake identity papers.

He is currently behind bars in in a maximum-security jail in Gaziantep, in southern Turkey, over his terrorism-related activities although Australia has been seeking to extradite him.

Prakash has previously admitted being a member of Islamic State but said he had nothing to do with the group in Australia.

He faces a potential life sentence if convicted in Australia of terrorism offences.

Prakash has also been implicated in at least two terror plots on Australian soil, including the Anzac Day plot to behead a Melbourne police officer.

Canberra announced financial sanctions against Prakash in 2015, including anyone giving him financial assistance, with punishment of up to 10 years in jail.