Quick Facts
Biography
Neil Prakash, known as Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, is an Australian man and senior member in the Islamic State group.
History
He was born in Melbourne, Australia to a Fijian father and a Cambodian mother from the south-east suburb of Springvale South.
Prakash converted from Buddhism to Islam in August 2012 after a visit to Cambodia, when he was repulsed by what he viewed as Buddhism’s commercialism and idolatry. He attended meetings at Al-Furqan bookstore and prayer centre in Melbourne.
Islamic State
He traveled to Syria via Malaysia in 2013, arriving in the city of Raqqa.
Arrest warrant
His passport was cancelled October 2014. On 19 August 2015, police obtained a warrant for his arrest. He was accused of being a member of a terrorist organisation and of incursions into a foreign state with the intention of engaging in hostile activities.
Reports of death
On 5 May 2016, Attorney-General George Brandis said US officials had confirmed Neil Prakash was killed in Mosul, but later news reports said police and intelligence agencies believed he might still be alive. It was later discovered that Prakash had been wounded in a strike, and then escaped to Syria.
Then on 29 July 2016, the United States Central Command said four civilians had been killed in a strike targeting Prakash on 29 April 2016.
In Nov 2016, Prakash was captured in Turkey after he tried to cross the Syrian border into Turkey using false documents and a fake name.. On 25 November 2016, Australian counter-terrorism officials confirmed that Prakash was still alive and had been arrested several weeks previously by Turkish officials in Turkey. Australia has applied for his extradition on a Federal Police warrant for:
. In May 2017, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull annouced that Prakash, was expected to be extradited from Turkey in months to stand trial in Australia.