Masri told the Herald that he travelled to Syria in January 2015 and joined what he now accepts is an"evil"terrorist organisation as a misguided devotee of Islam. He said he never engaged in fighting,instead putting his trade skills to use in a hospital.

His stepbrother,who describes his younger sibling as a"reasonable"and"honest kid",said it was not like Masri to join such a brutal organisation.

Masri has since married an Australian woman and has fathered three children,with a fourth child on the way - a fact his Sydney relative said he'd only heard a few weeks before.

The stepbrother wants to see Masri return to Australia safely,along with his new family.

"At the end of the day,I want him home."