Six radicalised Bangladeshi nationals who were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in April this year are the first to be prosecuted under the Terrorism (Supression of Financing) Act.
The six men – Rahman Mizanur, Mamun Leakot Ali, Miah Rubel, Zzaman Daulat, Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul lslam Sowdagar, and Sohel Hawlader lsmail Hawlader – were charged in court on Friday (May 27), “for providing and/or collecting property for terrorist purposes”, said a police statement.
Of the six, two – Miah Rubel and Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul lslam Sowdagar – will also be charged for possession of property for terrorist purposes under the same Act.
The six were part of a group of eight plotting to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh, according to a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on May 3.
The group – which called itself Islamic State in Bangladesh – was set up by 31-year-old S-Pass holder Rahman Mizanur in March this year.
The rest of the group members – whose ages range from 26 to 34 – are Work Permit holders. All of them were working in the local construction and marine industries.
Based on investigations by MHA, the group had identified several possible attack targets in Bangladesh, and possessed documents on weapons and bomb making. They also had significant amount of ISIS and Al Qaeda radical material, and planned to recruit other Bangladeshi nationals working in Singapore to grow their group.
MHA said it had also seized funds the group had raised to buy firearms to carry out their planned terror attacks in Bangladesh.
Source: ChannelNews Asia
