Australia seeks extradition of alleged Isis beheading plotter Neil Prakash after arrest in Turkey

Australia has requested the extradition of a citizen arrested in Turkey who is believed to be a top recruiter for Islamic State (Isis/Daesh), Justice Minister Michael Keenan said on Monday (28 November).

Neil Prakash, aka Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, has been linked to several terror plots in Australia, and is accused of appearing in Isis propaganda videos and magazines as well as using social media to attract new recruits.

The 25-year-old was allegedly linked to a plot to kidnap and behead an Australian police officer on Anzac Day in 2015.

In May, the Australian government, citing US intelligence, said that Prakash had been killed in an airstrike in Mosul, Iraq, on 29 April. However it emerged on Friday that he had been arrested in Turkey several weeks ago, after reportedly only being wounded in the attack and fleeing to the country using false documents.

"He's obviously subject at the moment to the Turkish justice system and Turkish legal processes," Australian justice minister Michael Keenan said on Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"The most important thing of course is that people involved in allegations of this nature face justice."

Experts told the Sydney Morning Herald that Prakash may have been traced by his social media activity, as he continued communicating with other Isis members and potential recruits online despite his near death.

Keenan said a formal extradition request has been sent to Turkey but a response may be weeks off given it is "relatively complicated".

"We've got a very good relationship with [Turkey] and they're very aware of our keen interest," he told ABC Radio.