Samuel Thompson, a 22-year-old childcare worker from Brisbane, disappeared more than three weeks ago. Now Ashley Dyball, a 25-year-old Queenslander who fought Islamic State forces in Syria, is reported to have been arrested in connection with Thompson’s disappearance. The search for Thompson is the biggest active police investigation conducted in Queensland, and the case is being treated as a murder.
Thompson’s body has not been recovered, but police began to suspect foul play early in their investigations. Thompson’s car, a distinctive orange Mustang with a personalised licence plate, was discovered abandoned near Byron Bay two days after he went missing. Dash cam footage of another vehicle following the Mustang lead to the arrest on Thursday of a 23-year-old man in Albion.
However, Dyball’s arrest is a new and bizarre development in the case.
Dyball, 25, faced charges in 2015 for his participation in the Kurdish militia fighting IS in Syria. Australian foreign fighter laws forbid entering a foreign country with the intention of taking up arms. He was questioned by Australian Federal Police, but not arrested or charged.
Last year Dyball explained his choice to go to Syria to the ABC:
“The main drive for me to go over there was just to help the children and the people. I was just sick of seeing women and children beheaded, raped, it just didn’t sit well with me.“I was never originally going over to fight or nothing like that. I was just going to go help in hospitals and shit like that.“I probably thought about it for well over a year — never said a word to anyone, just did it in silence, nothing on your home computer or anything like that, burner phones, libraries, things like that.”
He appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court today, charged with murder.
Dyball’s lawyer told the media outside court:
“As you would expect, [Dyball’s] quite upset at the situation he’s found himself in.“[However] discussions that I’ve had with my client will remain confidential.”
The case will return to court on May 15.
Source: ABC / Courier Mail.
Image: Facebook.
