Woman facing terror charges after living under ISIS rule granted bail

A woman facing terror charges will be released on bail, after a magistrate ruled strict conditions could be put in place to lower risks to the community.

Rayann El Houli, one of the so-called ISIS brides, travelled to Syria about a decade ago with her late husband and children and allegedly lived under Islamic State rule.

Ms El Houli, 34, returned to Australia last year and was charged in May this year with being a member of a terror organisation and entering a declared area.

The offences carry a maximum 10-year jail term.

She has spent about two months in custody.

Prosecutors alleged Ms El Houli showed her young children terrorism propaganda videos about a decade ago, and argued there was no evidence she had renounced extremist views.

However her lawyers said she did not support violent jihad and tendered several psychological reports to the court.

Defence barrister Peter Morrissey said Ms El Houli was trying to move on with her life and prioritise care for her four children, while dealing with mental and physical health issues.

On Monday, Magistrate Brett Sonnet agreed to grant bail despite describing the allegations as "unquestionably serious".

The magistrate said the defence had met an exceptional threshold test, and stringent bail conditions would lower risks of offending while on bail.

Those conditions include residing at a set address, adhering to a curfew, surrendering her passport and not going within 100 metres of a place of worship.

Ms El Houli's brother will also put up a $50,000 surety.

Magistrate Sonnet said videos Ms El Houli allegedly showed her children were "truly disturbing".

However he said the alleged offending was dated and that she may have been subjected to "marital coercion".

Police confirmed Ms El Houli had been under strict monitoring since returning to Australia in September 2025 and committed no offences before her arrest eight months later.

Another factor in granting bail was likely legal delays before a potential trial, the magistrate said.

Magistrate Sonnet warned Ms El Houli there would be no leniency if she failed to comply with her bail conditions.

"You'll be charged, you'll be sent back to jail and the process will start again. I'm sure you don't want that," he said.

Ms El Houli, who faced court via video link from the Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison, could be released later on Monday night when her bail is formalised.