Australia strips citizenship of suspected IS recruiter

A man being held in Turkey on suspicion of fighting for the Islamic State group has been stripped of his Australian citizenship, Canberra announced on Saturday.

Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton claimed that Neil Prakash was in the service of a "terrorist organisation" and acted inconsistently with his allegiance to Australia.

Prakash, who adopted the nom de guerre Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, became the 12th person to be stripped of Australian citizenship because of militant links, based on a 2007 law.

"Our country is a safer place for him having lost his Australian citizenship and it should serve as a very timely reminder to other people who are involved here in our country or abroad that the Australian Government will not tolerate this level of threat in the Australian community," Dutton said.

Australia is demanding Turkey extradite Prakash, who faces allegations of inciting a terror plot in his home state of Victoria.

However, the extradition will have to wait until the conclusion of Turkey's criminal proceedings against Prakash, who is facing prison after he was arrested near the border with Syria in 2016 for allegedly attempting to enter Turkey with false documents.

Prakash has previously admitted being a member of IS but said he had nothing to do with the group in Australia.

The former rapper from Melbourne had featured in IS videos, has been linked to several attack plans in Australia and has urged lone wolf attacks against the United States.

In a video released by the IS group in 2015, Prakash speaks about his journey to joining the militant group and calls on IS sympathisers in Australia to "start attacking before they [Australians] attack you".

Following his arrest, Prakash claimed had left IS after seeing the group's "true face".

"I decided to escape after seeing the true face" of IS, he was quoted by Turkey's Dogan news agency as saying. "I very much regret joining the organisation," he added.