Five members of the Iranian women’s football team have been granted asylum in Australia after reportedly escaping their government minders following a tournament, according to US president Donald Trump who announced the news on social media on Monday.

The US president said he had spoken to Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese who had told him that five members of the team had been “taken care of” amid fears they could be punished if they returned home.

Posting on Truth Social, however, Trump added that other members of the team, who have been in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup, “feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return”.

It was not clear how many Iranian players remained in Australia.

Speculation had mounted for days that some of the players would try to seek asylum in Australia after reports that they had been called “traitors” for refusing to sing their national anthem before their opening game of the Women’s Asian Cup which started in Australia last week.

On Monday there was a tense standoff at the team hotel on the Gold Coast in Queensland, where anti-Iranian regime protesters gathered as the players prepared to board a bus taking them to the airport for their return flight to Iran.

On Monday night local time it was reported that five of the players had slipped their regime minders and were being sheltered by the Australian federal police.

Citing sources within the Australian-Iranian community, Nine newspapers reported that the women were “receiving support” from police. “Police have taken them somewhere safe,” Hadi Karimi, a Brisbane-based human rights activist, told Nine. “It’s great, it’s amazing.”

There were “chaotic scenes” at the Royal Pines hotel, according to news.com, as minders rushed into the lobby looking for the women.

The news.com report said that the Department of Home Affairs had begun processing asylum claims by the women after “secret talks” with the players, when their 2-0 defeat to the Philippines in Robina on Sunday night meant they were out of the tournament.

It was also reported that the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, flew to Queensland on Monday to speak to the players and that he would make a statement on Tuesday.

The Department of Home Affairs was contacted for comment.

In a sign that the plight of the players has become part of the US propaganda campaign against the Iranian regime alongside its bombing, Trump had earlier called on Albanese to give asylum to team members

“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The U.S. will take them if you won’t.”

Australia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.

James Cockayne, anti-slavery commissioner for New South Wales, wrote to the chief of the Australian Federal Police, Krissy Barrett, on Monday night referring the players’ case for immediate investigation as suspected “exit trafficking”.

The referral letter says “the attempted coercion of the Iranian women’s football team to leave Australia could be a crime under Australian law” and her urges Barrett to investigate and “prevent suspects leaving Australia”.

Protesters briefly blocked the team bus leaving the stadium on Sunday, waving the international sign for help at the players – a fist closed with thumb underneath the four fingers, then opened again.

It appeared that some of the players tried to return the gesture.

A Fifa spokesperson said: “The safety and security of Iran’s women’s national team are Fifa’s priority, and we therefore remain in close contact with … the relevant Australian authorities, including Football Australia, in relation to the team’s situation.”