A notorious ISIS fighter has denied being the leader of the Islamic State terror group in Australia.
Melbourne-born Neil Prakash, 26, was questioned by a judge while appearing in court via video-link from his prison in Turkey on Tuesday.
The judge in Kilis, near the Syrian border, asked Prakash, also known as Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, if it was true he is the leader of ISIS in Australia.
A notorious ISIS fighter (pictured) has denied being the leader of the Islamic State terror group in Australia
Melbourne-born Neil Prakash, 26, was questioned by a judge while appearing in court via video-link from his prison in Turkey on Tuesday (pictured is Prakash’s passport)
‘I am not guilty of DEAS [the Turkish acronym for ISIS] in Australia. I have nothing to do with the leadership in Australia,’ he said, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Prakash reportedly appeared confused or worried during the brief hearing, held to establish his identity.
The judge said Australian documents showing his name as as Neil Christopher Prakash and nationality as Australian had arrived and were added to his file.
Prakash made a similar denial during a previous hearing and asked to be released and deported to a Muslim country and not Australia.
The judge in Kilis asked Prakash (pictured, left), also known as Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, if it was true he is the leader of ISIS in Australia
‘I am not guilty of DEAS [the Turkish acronym for ISIS] in Australia. I have nothing to do with the leadership in Australia,’ said Prakash (pictured)
Born to a Fijian father and a Cambodian mother, he converted to Islam in Cambodia in 2012 and later travelled to the Middle East to join ISIS.
He has admitted making propaganda videos and being responsible for ISIS in Australia, but says he was not ‘100 per cent responsible’ as he was forced to do it.
Prakash has been detained for over a year in the Gaziantep region of southern Turkey, after being captured while entering the country illegally in 2016.
Prakash has been detained for over a year in the Gaziantep (pictured) region of southern Turkey, after being captured while entering the country illegally in 2016
Australia has previously requested Turkey extradite him, and Canberra once reported him as having been killed in a US airstrike in northern Iraq.
Prakash’s next hearing was set for February 23, when a verdict must be reached, his defence lawyer Alper Unver said.
‘There are no solid accusations against him in the lawsuit files. This trial is to decide whether Turkey would extradite Prakash to Australia or not,’ Mr Unver said.