Sydney terror suspect's wife charged with terrorism
A woman has been arrested after a counter-terrorism investigation by NSW Police.
Alo-Bridget Namoa, the wife of terror suspect Sameh Bayda, was on Tuesday morning arrested in a home in Auburn at 10am and charged with terrorism offences.
The 18-year-old woman is being held at Guildford Police Station where officers plan to charge her with recklessly possessing a thing connected to a terrorist act and recklessly collecting documents connected to a terrorist act.
She is the second woman to be charged in Australia with terrorism offences, after Fatima Elomar, wife of the late Islamic State fighter, Mohamed Elomar, admitted supporting his involvement in armed hostilities in Syria.
Alo-Bridget Namoa, the wife of terror suspect Sameh Bayda, was on Tuesday morning charged with terrorism offences. Photo: 7 News
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Police say she was in possession of a knife and documents relating to a terrorist attack.
"We will be alleging that the item that she had possession of was a knife and we will be alleging that the documents that we collected were related to that act also," Ms Burn said.
Police have said the woman has previously been charged with 31 counts of failing to answer Crime Commission questions.
"We are not dealing with any new specific threat," Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.
Namoa, the Sydney teenager who married an alleged terrorist and is now facing possible jail time herself, is just a "troubled" girl who loves her husband, her lawyer says.
Facing Central Local Court earlier this month, prosecutors told how the 18-year-old had sent a text message referring to herself and her husband as "jihadi Bonnie and Clyde", and how extremist propaganda and bomb-building instructions were found on her phone.
"It is alleged, and she agreed, that she is a supporter of the extremist organisation Islamic State," prosecutor David Anderson said.
"The concern is that she is willing to assist in the commission of offences of a terrorist nature."
Namoa was hauled before the NSW Crime Commission, weeks after her teenage husband Sameh Bayda was charged with three counts of collecting documents likely to facilitate terrorist acts.
She now faces 31 charges of refusing or failing to answer questions during a crime commission hearing.
Sergeant Anderson told the court on February 11 that it is likely her alleged crimes will attract a custodial sentence.
The court heard during that Namoa was quizzed about whether she and her husband had discussed choosing a specific location for a "knife attack", and that a knife was seized from her home.
"She was a willing participant. Rather than simply being influenced by Mr Bayda, she's thinking for herself," Sgt Anderson said.
"She has indicated that she is not prepared to follow the laws of this country."
Her solicitor, Sophie Toomey, has described the prosecution case as "slightly hysterical".
"Ms Namoa has a very troubled history of contrary behaviour with authority, difficulty responding to questions ... habits that are formed out of an attempt to control her severe and debilitating anxiety," Ms Toomey said.
"What your honour is really looking at is a terrified young woman who refused to answer questions as much out of fear as for any other reason."
Mr Mabbutt agreed to release Namoa under strict conditions, including that she sever contact with her husband and her parents-in-law and cannot own a phone or use the internet.
Outside court, Ms Toomey told reporters: "(Bayda) is her husband, and of course she loves him. But that doesn't mean that she subscribes to his views."
MORE TO COME...
News break – February 23
