Australia's government is facing questions over its decision to strip a suspected Australian-born Islamic militant of his citizenship, after it was revealed he might not be a dual citizen of Fiji.
Neil Prakash, who has been jailed in Turkey since 2016 when he was arrested trying to enter from Syria with false documents, is accused of recruiting Australians to join the Islamic State terrorist group.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton announced late last month that the Melbourne native was the 12th Australian dual national to lose his Australian citizenship due to being associated with terrorists.
Prakash was believed to hold Fijian citizenship because his father is Fijian. But Nemani Vuniwaqa, Fiji's director of immigration, told the Fiji Sun newspaper that Prakash has never applied for citizenship there.
Australian law allows the government to strip someone of their citizenship only if that person is a dual citizen.
Dutton says the decision to revoke Prakash's citizenship was made after consultation with several other government agencies.
