SYDNEY, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- An Australian woman has been charged with encouraging an associate of hers to travel overseas in order to fight for the terrorist Islamic State (IS), with her crimes carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The 22-year-old woman was arrested by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) on Tuesday following a lengthy investigation.
It is alleged that in 2016 she encouraged and attempted to facilitate an associate of hers in traveling to Syria and Iraq in order to fight for IS.
She is also accused of forming an online association with an Australian man who was already in Syria, and supporting his activities with the terrorist group there.
According to Australian security organizations, there have been over 200 Australians traveling overseas to join IS since 2012.
Police charged the woman with performing services for a person who is intending to enter a foreign country and engage in hostile activity, recruiting a person to participate in the activities of a terrorist organization, as well as associating with a terrorist organization.
The maximum penalty for these crimes is life imprisonment.
