Australian student flies to Syria, joins IS

Sydney, Dec 31: An Australian student has reportedly fled to Syria and joined Islamic State (IS) soon after he received prize money from the Australian government here, a media report said on Wednesday.

Sydney student Samir Atwani received the Aus $2,000 ($1,641) prize in June for excellence in a vocational and educational training course, Xinhua reported.

Atwani was among 500 students to receive the Australian Vocational Student Prize (AVSP), which recognises the skill, commitment and achievements of school students who have demonstrated outstanding skills while completing vocational training in senior secondary years.

The Australian newspaper reported he was studying electrical engineering at the university but quit later.

Then sometime in the past six months he flew to Syria where he joined IS as a video editor in its propaganda unit.

It's not known whether Atwani used the prize money to fund his trip.

Atwani had attended Canterbury Boys High School, the same one former Prime Minister John Howard went to as a schoolboy.

IANS