An international expert in extremism says the rehabilitation of Suhayra Aden in New Zealand will not be an easy task and will likely gain international attention.
The woman with alleged ISIS links, and her two children, will be repatriated to New Zealand from Turkey in the near future.
Aden has been at the centre of a diplomatic spat, after Australia revoked her citizenship, effectively washing their hands of the situation.
She was a dual citizen after leaving New Zealand when she was six years old and departed for Syria in 2014 on an Australian passport.
1 NEWS spoke with University of Sydney Associate Professor Jean Bogais earlier this year, about what her return to New Zealand could look like.
He has 35 years of experience as an expert on violence, conflict and terrorism.
The Government has announced it'll repatriate NZ-born Suhayra Aden at the request of Turkish authorities but won't say when the family will arrive.
"Let’s assume, that she has been radicalised, which is very likely the case," Bogais said.
"We cannot just let this person into the community freely, we need to have a mechanist in place to protect her and also protect the community just in case."
Bogais said Aden’s two children will play a key role in integrating her back into society.
"Losing the contact with their mother will actually create a psychological crisis that we may not be able to appreciate today, but certainly we will know all about it in years to come.
"They may not show it, but they will be traumatised already," he said.
"I think that people might actually want to support that situation [reintegrating Aden]. After all, this person is a victim, and we need to understand that."
New Zealand’s officials and public would have learnt lessons following the Christchurch Terrorist attack, Bogais says.
In a statement this morning, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said details around the arrangements and timing of Aden’s return would not be made public.
“[New Zealand is] certainly going to have a challenge there, and the world is going to watch,” said Bogais.
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