A Melbourne woman charged with terrorism offences allegedly showed Islamic State propaganda videos to her young children while the family was living in Syria, a court has heard.
Australian Federal Police have opposed bail for 34-year-old Rayann El Houli, who returned to Australia in September 2025 after spending several years in territory formerly controlled by Islamic State.
Ms El Houli has been charged with membership of a terrorist organisation and entering or remaining in a declared area. Each offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. She is currently being held at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Victoria.
During a bail hearing, police alleged they had obtained videos from 2015 showing Ms El Houli exposing her children to extremist material. According to transcripts presented to the court, she allegedly told the children that non-believers would be sent to hell.
One video reportedly showed a child holding a toy gun while Ms El Houli allegedly asked how a weapon should be held. In another alleged exchange, she questioned the child about how Islamic State fighters killed people with guns and knives.
AFP Senior Constable Paul Sherlock told the court he believed Ms El Houli could pose an unacceptable risk of spreading extremist ideology to her children and within the broader community if she were released on bail.
Her lawyers previously argued that she had rejected Islamic State and violent jihad. However, police said there was no evidence demonstrating that her beliefs had changed and noted that she had not participated in a formal deradicalisation program since returning to Australia.
The court heard that Ms El Houli remained in the community for about eight months following her return before police arrested and charged her on May 28, 2026. Senior Constable Sherlock said investigators had not gathered enough evidence to support prosecution until shortly before the arrest.
Ms El Houli left Australia in 2014 with her then-husband, Allak Hamad, and two children. She later gave birth to two more children in Syria.
Prosecutors allege that she lived under Islamic State rule and remarried after Hamad, who was allegedly an IS fighter, died. Her second husband, Abdulkadehr Assad, was also described by prosecutors as a militant. A third marriage to another alleged Islamic State member, Mohammed Noor Masri, later ended in divorce.
The prosecution also alleged that Ms El Houli communicated with relatives in Australia while living in Syria and sent messages and photographs, including images of firearms inside her home.
In 2019, Ms El Houli and her children were detained by Kurdish forces at the al-Hawl displaced persons camp in northern Syria. The court heard that they were smuggled from the camp into Lebanon in June 2025 before returning to Australia several months later.
Defence barrister Peter Morrissey SC said his client regretted placing her children in danger and had lived an ordinary life since returning. He said she had obtained a driver’s licence and regularly took her children to swimming lessons and football training.
The defence also told the court that Ms El Houli had post-traumatic stress disorder and was undergoing medical examinations for possible multiple sclerosis.
Mr Morrissey said she had renounced Islamic State and was willing to take part in a deradicalisation program.
Prosecutor Andrew Sprague argued that the possibility of serious harm meant she should remain in custody while the criminal proceedings continued.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet is expected to deliver a decision on the bail application on Monday. The allegations against Ms El Houli have not been proven in court.
