Breaking: 'ISIS bride' charged with slavery offences is granted bail

'ISIS bride' Kawsar Ahmad charged with slavery offences is granted bail Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 3:10pm Victoria's most senior magistrate has granted bail for Melbourne grandmother Kawsar Ahmad, who is alleged to have owned a slave under the rule of the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria. Kawsar Ahmad, 54, was granted bail because prosecutors failed to prove she was an unacceptable risk to the community. Prosecutors argued against her release, due to concerns she could spread extremist ideology. Chief magistrate Lisa Hannan said risks could "never entirely be eliminated", but she believed the danger to the community could be managed with stringent bail conditions. "I propose to grant bail," she said. The conditions require Ms Ahmad to regularly report to police, not communicate with people outside Australia, and not conduct religious teachings. She must also keep a log of visitors to her home. Her brother has provided a $75,000 surety. The magistrate said she had factored in the safety of the community in her decision, which took close to an hour to read out. Loading