RCMP arrest 2 Canadian Women who returned from Syrian ISIS Camp

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have arrested two Canadian women that returned from a camp for Islamic State (ISIS) family members in northeast Syria. The women will appear in a Brampton, Ontario court for a bail hearing. Also, the Mounties are pursuing a terrorism peace bond against them under the Criminal Code.

Recall that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) transferred over four women and ten children of ISIS families to a Canadian delegation on April 6. The transfer happened during a meeting between senior officials of the Canadian Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Relations Department of the AANES.

A terrorism peace bond permits a court to order a person to agree to keep peace and behave well or risk a prison sentence. This is being pursued against the two women nabbed in Brampton. Recently, another repatriated Canadian woman was released on bail in Edmonton, pending a terrorism peace bond application.

Since the collapse of ISIS in 2019, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been detaining members of the organization and their families in camps across northeastern Syria. Countries like Canada have been reluctant to evacuate their citizens over security concerns and difficulties in getting evidence to support criminal charges.

Meawhile, the Canadian government has been under growing pressure to repatriate its citizens, especially children born to Canadian parents in ISIS-dominated areas. The repatriation process is tedious and involves coordination with local authorities like the AANES, and international organizations.

The repatriation of these women and children is viewed as a major step in tackling the plight of Canadians in Syrian camps, though there are problems with prosecuting them and their reintegration into society. The government of Canada is working to give the necessary support and resources to these individuals while ensuring the safety of its citizens.

The arrested women are required to attend a bail hearing, during which the court will decide whether they will be a significant risk to public safety if they are released. If they are granted bail, the RCMP will seek a terrorism peace bond, which would impose specific conditions on them to ensure they behave well and comply with the law.