A Daesh-inspired attack in Melbourne, Victoria once again puts under the spotlight the international community's incompetence when it comes to fighting the terrorist group. Momena Shoma, who stabbed a man on Feb. 9, in the Australian city was denied a visa in 2014 by Turkey when she tried to go, apparently to join the terrorist group active in Turkey's neighbor Syria. Yet, Australian authorities granted the 24-year-old suspect a visa two years later, as well as a partial scholarship, Bangladeshi and Australian media outlets reported. Shoma is accused of stabbing Roger Singaravela who was hosting her in his home as part of a program to accommodate international students. Singaravela survived the neck wounds inflicted by Shoma. A report on the website of Bangladesh's Dhaka Tribune says the woman was likely inspired by members of a banned group to travel to Turkey to join Daesh.
The suspect had to fill out a form where she was asked whether she had been refused a visa to another country to apply for an Australian visa, Australian media outlets reported.
Ankara has deported more than 5,000 Daesh suspects and 3,290 foreign fighters from 95 countries in recent years and has dismantled several terrorist cells that provided logistical assistance in Syria and Iraq and for plotting attacks inside the country. The country also prevented the entry of more than 52,000 suspected foreign fighters aiming to join the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
Turkish authorities have complained that Europe has been ignoring its warnings regarding deported Daesh militants who went on to become involved in Daesh attacks in Europe. Belgium admitted that two years ago it failed to respond to Turkey's warning about a Belgian man, Ibrahim al-Bakraoui, captured near Turkey's Syrian border. Bakraoui was deported to Belgium, where he carried out an attack on the Brussels airport in 2016.
