CANBERRA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- One of Australia's most wanted terrorists will be brought back to Australia to "face the music" in the local court system despite pleading with Turkish authorities to be extradited to a "Muslim country," Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday.
Melbourne man Neil Prakash, 26, has asked a Turkish court not to extradite him to Australia but to a Muslim nation instead, claiming that he regrets joining Islamic State (IS).
But Turnbull said that due to an extradition treaty between Australia and Turkey, the government was certain that Prakash would come back to Australia to "face the music."
"We want him to come back here to face the music in an Australian court, and then have a very, very long term of imprisonment for his crimes," Turnbull told Australian media Macquarie Radio.
"He is one of the worst examples of terrorist financing and organization in the world. Because we do have an extradition treaty with Turkey, we will have the prospect and the ability to bring him back to Australia to face the music."
Prakash is most infamous for his role in recruiting Australian members of IS, but has also been linked with at least three Australian terror plots which were foiled by authorities.
Notably, Prakash was in contact with Sevdet Besim, 19, who was arrested before undertaking a terror attack which would have involved beheading a police officer in Melbourne on a national day of remembrance.
Turnbull said that Prakash's capture should act as a warning to other Australian terrorists who think they can evade the authorities, declaring that they will be found and brought home to face charges.
"As far as we're concerned, we will track terrorists down wherever they are. (Prakash) is an Australian and he may have thought he was safe over there - he very narrowly escaped being killed - but he is now in a Turkish jail and we are seeking to bring him back here so he can face an Australian court," the prime minister said.
