Alleged ISIS Recruiter Extradited from Türkiye to Australia

FILE: Fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces secure the Iraqi-Syrian border in al-Qaim in Anbar province in Iraq | AFP
FILE: Fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces secure the Iraqi-Syrian border in al-Qaim in Anbar province in Iraq | AFP
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Alleged ISIS Recruiter Extradited from Türkiye to Australia

FILE: Fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces secure the Iraqi-Syrian border in al-Qaim in Anbar province in Iraq | AFP
FILE: Fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces secure the Iraqi-Syrian border in al-Qaim in Anbar province in Iraq | AFP

An ISIS militant who featured heavily in the terrorist group's recruiting propaganda will be charged with "serious terror offences" after being extradited to Australia from Türkiye, federal police said Friday.

Neil Christopher Prakash, 31, was arrested in Türkiye in 2016 after crossing into the country from Syria, AFP reported.

Prakash was sentenced in 2019 to seven years imprisonment by a Turkish court, which found him guilty of belonging to a terrorist organization.

Australian Federal Police said Prakash arrived in Australia by plane on Friday morning.

"An investigation started in 2016 when the man was alleged to have travelled to Syria to fight with ISIS," it said in a statement.

"The AFP will allege in court that the man committed a range of serious terrorism offences."

Authorities have estimated some 230 Australians travelled to Iraq and Syria to take up arms since 2012 -- Prakash being one of the most prominent examples.

He featured in ISIS recruiting videos in which he urged Australians to "wake up" and join the group.

Prakash was described by former conservative prime minister Malcolm Turnbull as one of the "key financiers or organizers" for ISIS in the Middle East.

Former Australian attorney-general George Brandis in 2016 said Prakash had been killed in Iraq following a targeted US air strike.

It was later confirmed that he was wounded but not killed in the blast.



Two Dead in Severe Storm in France

This photograph shows a lightning bolt falling near Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, in Paris on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Olivier MORIN / AFP)
This photograph shows a lightning bolt falling near Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, in Paris on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Olivier MORIN / AFP)
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Two Dead in Severe Storm in France

This photograph shows a lightning bolt falling near Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, in Paris on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Olivier MORIN / AFP)
This photograph shows a lightning bolt falling near Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, in Paris on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Olivier MORIN / AFP)

Two people, including a child, died in a violent storm that lashed France overnight, emergency services said Thursday.

In southern France, a falling tree killed a 12-year-old boy, while a man on a quad bike died after crashing into another that had been brought down by the storm.

The violent downpour late Wednesday injured 17 others, one seriously, France's emergency services said.

In the capital, the sky turned an eerie yellow hue as lightning flashed above the Sacre-Coeur cathedral and fierce winds sent Parisians rushing for cover, AFP reported.

And rain leaked through the roof of the lower house of parliament, forcing lawmakers to suspend talks on conflict in the Middle East.

"It's raining in the chamber... I repeat: it's raining in the chamber," wrote MP Maud Petit on her X account.

The storms followed a sweltering heatwave with temperatures passing 35 degrees Celsius (95 F). It brought gusts of wind exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) that damaged property.

Nearly 100,000 homes were still without electricity on Thursday, mainly in central France, emergency services said.

"Trees blocking roads, damage to infrastructure and homes, flooding, and power outages have been reported," it reported.

More extreme heat is expected over the weekend and into early next week.