National leader Judith Collins has unleashed on suspected terrorist Suhayra Aden, claiming she's a bad mother and part of a "death cult".
It comes after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday the Government has agreed to resettle Aden and her two young children to New Zealand from Turkey.
The trio has been in immigration detention there since Aden was arrested crossing the border from Syria earlier this year and accused of being linked to IS. Turkey, which has dropped charges against her, asked for New Zealand to repatriate her after Australia revoked her citizenship. Aden had previously held dual New Zealand-Australian citizenship.
But National isn't happy, with leader Judith Collins calling the decision a "total disappointment" on Wednesday.
"We got done over by the Australians and it's not like she had anything to do with us other than she happened to be born here, left when she was six and you know I just feel sorry for her poor little kids," she told The AM Show.
"They've been brought up and dragged up, you could say, in a place like Syria in IS camps and this woman chose to marry three times to IS fighters… I just think we are going to rue the day that we have to take her in."
Collins said Aden "didn't just pop up" in Syria by chance.
When asked by fill-in host Ryan Bridge whether she knew that from confidential security briefings, Collins said she couldn't talk about briefings but knew it was true.
Bridge pushed again asking, "So you're 100 percent confident in calling her a terrorist? The media are reporting her as a suspected terrorist…" he said.
But Collins seemed to take issue with that replying, "Oh for goodness sake. Well the media can say what they like but I'm saying it very clearly, this person is not someone we want in New Zealand".
Collins went on to accuse Aden of being part of a "death cult" and being a bad mother.
Bridges then asked whether New Zealand should consider a law that would automatically revoke the citizenship of Kiwis who join terrorist groups.
Collins said it should be considered but conceded it would come with challenges.
"It's very hard to do that with someone who is born in the country."
Bridge pushed Collins again on it, accusing her of "slating" Aden.
"You've come in here and slated this woman left right and centre," he said. "A law like that would stop her from coming here."
Collins again said there were difficulties revoking citizenships of people who were born here, but said she was happy to slate Aden.
"I am happy to slate that woman and I will say this, I fully expect that the mainstream media will very quickly want to do documentaries on her and turn her into some sort of martyr - she's not a martyr, she's been part of a death cult that has created misery."
Bridge then pushed back suggesting "some women feel they have no choice when they find themselves in a situation like that".
But that didn't fly with Collins, who again claimed Aden deliberately travelled to Syria.
"She didn't find herself there," she shot back. "She went there, she went there. She went from Australia and she didn't want anything to do with the western world."
Collins wouldn't clarify how she knew that but said she was confident it was true.
On Monday, Ardern said New Zealand accepted Turkey's request after being assured by Australia that "it will proactively consult with New Zealand if any such case arises in future"
She said extensive planning by police and other agencies has been underway for Aden's return and to address potential security concerns, but specific details won't be revealed for legal and operational reasons.
Aden's lawyer, Deborah Manning, has been reported by Stuff as saying that the woman is "looking forward to being in New Zealand and giving her children an opportunity at living here and integrating, and really wishes to have privacy for them to allow them to settle in here and come to terms with everything they have been through".
