Notorious Australian doctor Tareq Kamleh — sometimes known as Abu Yousef Al-Australie after he travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State — has declared on Facebook he will never return to Australia and doesn't care if authorities cancel his Australian passport.
Dr. Kamleh, who is believed to have grown up in Perth, came to Australia's attention in April when he was featured in an ISIS propaganda video. In the clip, the doctor appears to be working in a paediatric hospital in Raqqa, Syria and urges other medical practitioners to join him.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and South Australia Police issued a warrant for Dr. Kamleh's arrest on Thursday. He is wanted for membership of a terrorist organisation, recruiting for a terrorist organisation and for entering, or remaining in, an area the government has deemed a no-go area due to terrorism, according to joint statement issued by law enforcement.
Addressing the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) on Facebook Sunday, Dr. Kamleh wrote he was unconcerned if the medical association cancelled his registration and said that he intended to stay in the Middle East. "I have no concern if you cancel my passport," he added.
"I anticipated an arrest warrant, hence why I left in secret," Dr. Kamleh wrote in response to the move by the AFP. "None of the case you put forward has indicated to me a malicious character on my behalf and it is this injustice within the Australian judicial system that was a catalyst for me to leave."
Dr. Kamleh's statement comes amidst a furious debate in Australia over whether alleged terrorists should lose their Australian passport. Prime Minister Tony Abbott wants to give the immigration minister the power to strip suspected terrorists of their citizenship, even without trial, if they are a dual national.
Concerns have been raised by members of the legal profession, however, who say the plan may be unconstitutional. Some government ministers within Abbott's own Liberal Party have also indicated they are concerned about the proposal's legality, Fairfax Media has reported.
In May, Dr. Kamleh posted an open letter on his Facebook account denying he was brainwashed into joining ISIS and countering reports from former colleagues and friends that he had been a heavy-drinking womaniser. He wrote that his choice to travel to Syria had been a thought-out, calculated decision and said he had "finally returned home."
He has since posted an image of an x-ray on Facebook, writing that the "Pathology here is incredible," as well as a photo of an underweight baby apparently in hospital.
Dr. Kamleh will be "immediately" arrested if he returns to Australia, according to the AFP.
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