An Australian woman accused of joining the Islamic State group after travelling to Syria has been charged following her return to Sydney.

The 32-year-old was arrested at Sydney Airport on Wednesday by the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team and is due to appear before the Bail Division Court 7 on Friday.

The Australian Federal Police allege the woman travelled to Syria in 2015 to join her husband, who had earlier left Australia and joined Islamic State (ISIS).

She has been charged with entering or remaining in a declared conflict zone and with being a member of a terrorist organisation under Commonwealth law. Both offences carry maximum penalties of 10 years’ imprisonment.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said Australian authorities had spent years investigating citizens who travelled to conflict regions in the Middle East as part of an operation known as Kurrajong, established to manage the potential return of Australians from Syria and Iraq.

Nutt said Joint Counter Terrorism Teams had “methodically investigated” Australians linked to declared conflict areas and would continue to bring before the courts those suspected of criminal offences. He described the allegations as serious and said investigations remained ongoing.

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