Grandma's bid to save grandchildren from ISIS falls apart
After 18 months of hoping, it took only 24 hours for Karen Nettleton's ambitious plan to save her grandchildren from the world's most infamous terrorist group, Islamic State (IS), to fall apart.
Ms Nettleton's grandchildren were smuggled into an IS-controlled region of Syria by their father, convicted Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf.
Khaled Sharrouf's mother-in-law Karen Nettleton returns to Sydney after failing to rescue… https://t.co/K5Ayowsbie (News) #brisbane #qld
— Brisbane News (@BrissieLiveNews) April 7, 2016
She had travelled to Turkey in an attempt to rescue them, but on the day she arrived a Sydney newspaper ran a front page article revealing her intent.
Karen Nettleton says intense media attention risked the safety of her grandchildren https://t.co/DCFs9vKWLD @abcnews pic.twitter.com/CbmDG0Jqjq
— Suzanne Dredge (@suzannedredge) April 7, 2016
That article was the beginning of a media whirlwind which ended her long-held plan.
Intense media attention scared off people who may have helped Ms Nettleton, and earlier this week she was advised that staying in Turkey would only increase the risk to her and her grandchildren.
