Member of ISIS bride Zahra Ahmad's entourage calls female reporter a 's***' during wild scenes at Melbourne airport

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 23:58, 7 May 2026 | Updated: 00:22, 8 May 2026 Chaotic scenes have unfolded at Melbourne Airport after a group of so-called ISIS brides and their children landed in Australia on Thursday night.  A TV reporter asked Zahra Ahmad 'why did you marry an ISIS terrorist', to which a burly bloke responded: 'Shut up you s***'.  After being held in customs for several hours, she was shielded from the media by a large group of men dressed in black as she was escorted through the airport terminal and onto a mini bus. Ms Ahmad, 33, arrived in Melbourne with her mother Kawsar Abbas, 54, sister Zeinab Ahmed, 31, along with eight children, almost two weeks after leaving the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria. Abbas and Zeinab were arrested by AFP officers and formally charged on Friday morning. Only Zahra was allowed to walk free without any charges laid. Abbas was charged with four crimes against humanity - slavery charges, including keeping and using a slave, and engaging in slave trade. These offences carry a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment. Police will allege she travelled to Syria in 2014 with her husband and children, and was complicit in the purchase of a female slave for US$10,000, and knowingly kept the woman in her home. Zeinab faces two slavery charges. Both offences carry a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.  She travelled to Syria in 2014 with her family and knowingly kept a female slave in the home.  The pair are expected to face Melbourne Magistrates Court later on Friday. The widow of a notorious Islamic State recruiter, Zahra had previously pleaded with Australians not to ‘judge’ the ISIS brides. The latest cohort travelled to Australia with Janai Safar, 32, and her nine-year-old son, who were escorted off the plane by AFP officers shortly after landing in Sydney on Thursday night. Safar was later charged with entering or remaining in declared areas, and being a member of a terrorist organisation. Police will allege she travelled to Syria in 2015 to join her husband, who had previously left Australia to join ISIS. Safar is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, where she is expected to apply for bail. This is a breaking news story. More to follow  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.