Australia’s bid to strip ISIS recruiter’s citizenship hits snag over Fiji nationality

Australia’s attempt to strip citizenship from an alleged recruiter for ISIS has been thrown into doubt after Fiji said he was not one of its citizens.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said on Saturday that the country was much safer after the government revoked Neil Prakash’s Australian citizenship.

Canberra believes Mr Prakash, who is wanted over an alleged plot to behead a Melbourne police officer, is a dual national because his father was Fijian.

A person with such dual status can be stripped of their Australian citizenship if they engage in terrorist-related activity, and ISIS was declared a terrorist organisation by Canberra in 2016 for this purpose.

The government cannot revoke single Australian citizenship because that would leave a person stateless.

But Fiji’s Immigration Department director Nemani Vuniwaqa said Mr Prakash was not one of its citizens, the Fiji Sun newspaper reported yesterday.

“Neil Prakash has not been or is a Fijian citizen. He was born in Australia and has acquired Australian citizenship since birth,” he said.

If Mr Prakash does not hold dual status, the way could be open for a legal challenge against Australia because he may be legally entitled to keep his citizenship.

The Home Affairs Department yesterday was unable to confirm whether or not Mr Prakash was a Fijian citizen.

“Australia is committed to upholding our international legal obligations, including our obligation not to render a person stateless,” a department spokesman said.

Mr Prakash has been on trial in Turkey for charges relating to ISIS activity since being caught there in October 2016.

Canberra is seeking his extradition pending the outcome of his trial and any jail term he serves in Turkey.

If later convicted in Australia, he would also serve time there.

The government cannot revoke single Australian citizenship as that would leave a person stateless