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ISIS Launches Malay-Language Propaganda Newspaper In Southeast Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Terror group Islamic State (IS) is trying to increase its reach in South-east Asia by launching a Malay-language publication for its supporters in the region, according to a Berita Harian (BH) report.

The Malay daily reported today that the publication called Al Fatihin was launched in southern Philippines on June 20, and is being distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, southern Thailand, as well as southern Philippines itself.

An unnamed security expert was quoted saying that the act can be seen as an “unofficial warning” that the Malay archipelago is in IS’s sights.

“This psychological campaign means that the terrorists have a big objective, which is to expand their influence among people who understand the Malay language,” said the source.

“Based on the way the language is used, we believe the writer or editor of the paper may be from this country,” the source added.

Al Fatihin means “The Conqueror” in Arabic.

A paper by the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore last month gave some details on the newspaper’s first issue’s contents.

The 20-page edition focussed on the month of Ramadan and the act of jihad or “holy struggle”, with a three-page message from Egyptian ideologue Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, calling on IS fighters to “continue their jihadist activities, search for martyrdom and kill and crucify the polytheists, disbelievers, oppressors and transgressors”.

It also featured Syrian martyr Abu Bilal al-Himshi, and various news excerpts from Raqqa in Syria to the Philippines, information and statistics on military operations, a map of IS provinces across the glove, and alms collection and distribution statistics in Syria.

According to BH, its editor also invited all militant groups in Indonesia and the Philippines to unite and pledge allegiance to IS leader and self-styled caliph Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division senior assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay refused comment on the matter to the daily, claiming the matter was still being investigated.

However he told the daily that IS is believed to be expanding its media arms, in the fields of information technology, audio visual, processing and publishing to maintain its global communications.

“It is proven through the production of their official IS applications including an official ‘live broadcast’ radio from the official IS media centre in Iraq that is broadcasted all over the world,” said Ayub.

Regional security expert Bilveer Singh, an adjunct senior fellow at Centre of Excellence for National Security at RSIS recently warned of possible increase in IS activities in the region as the terrorist organisation has begun losing its hold on territories in Iraq and Syria.

There had been a recent increase of attacks linked to IS globally, including bombings at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, the slaying of hostages in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and in South-east Asia, a suicide bombing in Solo, Indonesia, as well as the grenade attack which injured eight people at a bar in Puchong — reportedly the first in Malaysia linked to the IS.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

July 12, 2016
JB Malls ‘On High Alert’

Shopping malls and popular tourist destinations in Johor are beefing up security to ensure public safety in light of the recent Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) threats.

A Johor Bahru City Square shopping mall official, Ms Joyce Lee, told The Star that the management had been training its staff to be more vigilant.

She said: “We have also set up a standard operating procedure for more effective training and police have been doing frequent rounds in the vicinity.”

She said the mall had about 2.3 million visitors a month last year.

“Our shoppers are a mix of locals and Singaporeans.

“We take the security issue very seriously and constantly monitor the place through closed-circuit television (CCTV) and patrols,” she said.

Sutera Mall centre manager Crystal Soon said they have also been conducting impromptu bomb emergency drills in the mall.

Ms Soon said the exercises were carried out discreetly to avoid panic or chaos, adding that the mall receives about 700,000 visitors a month.

The added security measures come after Malaysian police have said the June 28 blast in a bar in Selangor was the work of Malaysian ISIS militants.

Police said the blast, which injured eight people, was caused by an old hand grenade that was thrown into a crowd watching a Euro 2016 match.

At least 15 people, including two low-ranking policemen, have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Malaysia has also ramped up security following the blast, including putting its main transport hub in the capital on high alert.

On Friday, police denied claims circulating on social media that militants are targeting locations in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.

STEPPED UP

Security at KL Sentral railway station will be stepped up to similar levels as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to safeguard against an extremist attack, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said early last week.

All passengers and bags destined for KLIA from KL Sentral will be subjected to security checks, said Mr Liow. More CCTV cameras and screening machines will also be installed at KL Sentral, he said.

Mr Liow said he also ordered security measures to be increased at all airports and train stations.

“We are on high alert,” he said.

While the security level at the gateways is now at “amber”, Mr Liow urged the public not to panic.

Meanwhile, a terrorism expert said Malaysians have joined ISIS’ new battalion in the Philippines.

Dr Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the Nanyang Technological University’s International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, said the new regional base was set up due to difficulties faced by ISIS recruits in going to Syria and Iraq.

“Now we have seen that in the Philippines, ISIS has created Katibah Al-Muhajir, the Battalion of Migrants.

“They are (made up of) Malaysians and Indonesians,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times yesterday.

“There are about 10 Malaysians (there now),” he added, citing intelligence on the new battalion.

Citing an ISIS propaganda video released last month, Mr Gunaratna said the militant group told its South-east Asian supporters to head to the battalion in the Philippines if they found it hard to go to Syria and Iraq.

Source: The New Paper

July 11, 2016
Anak Osama Bin Laden Ancam Balas Dendam Pembunuhan Bapa

Anak pemimpin al Qaeda, iaitu Osama bin Laden mengancam untuk membalas dendam terhadap Amerika Syarikat (AS) atas pembunuhan bapanya.

Demikian menurut satu rakaman audio yang dimuat naik online.

Hamza bin Laden berjanji menerusi ucapan sepanjang 21 minit yang bertajuk “Kami Semua adalah Osama”, bahawa dia akan meneruskan perjuangan kumpulan militan tersebut terhadap AS dan sekutunya, menurut kumpulan risikan SITE.

“Kami akan terus menyerang dan menyasarkan kamu di negara kamu dan di luar negara sebagai respons terhadap penindasan yang kamu lakukan ke atas rakyat Palestin, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yaman, Somalia dan tempat-tempat Muslim yang lain yang tidak bertahan di bawah penindasan kamu,” tegas Hamza.

“Ini bukan balas dendam untuk Osama tetapi ini adalah balas dendam bagi pihak mereka yang mempertahankan Islam.”

Osama bin Laden terbunuh semasa berada di tempat persembunyiannya di Pakistan oleh para komando AS pada tahun 2011 dalam satu serbuan besar-besaran terhadap kumpulan militan yang melancarkan serangan pada 11 September 2011.

Dokumen-dokumen yang dijumpai di tempat tersebut dan diterbitkan oleh AS pada tahun lalu mendakwa sekutunya cuba menyatukan semula pemimpin kumpulan itu dengan Hamza, yang ditahan dalam rumah oleh Iran.

Hamza, yang kini berusia 20an tahun, berada di samping bapanya di Afghanistan sebelum serangan 9/11 dan meluangkan masa bersamanya di Pakistan setelah pencerobohan AS menyebabkan kebanyakan pemimpin kanan al-Qaeda ke sana, menurut Institut Brookings.

Diperkenalkan oleh ketua baru kumpulan tersebut, iaitu Ayman al-Zawahiri dalam satu mesej audio pada tahun lalu, Hamza adalah suara orang muda bagi kumpulan itu di mana para pemimpinnya semakin menua, bersungguh-sungguh mahu memberi inspirasi kepada para anggota militan di seluruh dunia yang sekarang ini mendapat motivasi daripada ISIS.

“Hamza muka baru bagi al Qaeda, seseorang yang ada kaitan secara langsung dengan pengasas kumpulan itu. Dia musuh yang bijak bertutur kata dan berbahaya,” menurut Bruce Riedel dari Brookings.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

July 11, 2016
Man Found Dead At Yishun, 20-Year-Old Suspect Arrested

A 26-year-old man was found dead outside a unit on the sixth floor at Block 279 Yishun Street 22 on Saturday (Jul 9).

A 20-year-old male suspect was arrested in connection to the case, said the police.

The police were first alerted at 7.57pm requesting for assistance, and paramedics pronounced the man dead at 8.29pm. Police investigations are ongoing.

Channel NewsAsia understands that both men had been involved in a prior dispute, and that no weapon was used in the incident.

According to Mr Diin, 42, who lives on the fifth floor, he heard a “loud bang” at 7.45pm, but added that he did not know what happened exactly.

“I heard a very loud thumping sound. It’s like something dropped onto the floor. It’s a very loud sound. I thought my neighbour was moving something,” Mr Diin recounted.

Mdm Tan Saik Khar, 75, who lives on the sixth floor, claimed that she had been attacked by the 26-year-old man on Wednesday night. She said he ran away after she shouted for help.

Another neighbour, Andy, 37, also said that he had started noticing the man two years ago, as he would loiter at the void deck up to four times a week. “He has never spoken to me before, but he would just stare at me and walk around the block for a few hours,” he said.

Earlier the same day, the body of a 52-year-old man was found at Geylang Lorong 23. Police said they were investigating the “unnatural death”.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

July 11, 2016
Murder At Geylang: Why Was Body Left In Open For So Long?

A 52-year-old coffeeshop helper, known as Niu-ge, was found dead after a fight at Lorong 23 Geylang yesterday at 8am.

Five hours later, his bloodied corpse, which had visible injuries to the face, was lying on the road and his head was resting on the kerb.

Witnesses say the body was initially covered with a white cloth and a blue tent.

But when The New Paper on Sunday (TNPS) arrived at the scene at 10.30am, the cloth had been removed.

In the suffocating heat, the body could be seen by anyone standing behind the police cordon, which was placed about 20m away.

Despite the gruesome sight, passers-by gawked. Many were snapping away with their mobile phones.

Scores of pictures were later uploaded on social media sites like Facebook.

OUTRAGE

This prolonged and open display, however, prompted outrage from Mr Niu-ge’s relative, a woman in her early 20s who arrived at 12.30pm.

“Why do you leave his body in the open, to be exposed to the sun?” Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported her as calling out to no one in particular.

Mr Niu-ge’s body was eventually removed at about 1.30pm.

There was a deep cut running from near his left ear to the top of his head.

The scene of the crime, next to a crowded coffee shop, was spattered with blood.

Mr Niu-ge’s final moments were witnessed by a cabby, who wanted to be known only as Mr Zhang, 64.

He told TNPS: “He was wearing red, and there was so much blood that I couldn’t tell if it was his clothes or the blood.

“He was also breathing very heavily. I couldn’t bear to look for too long, and I wouldn’t want to see it again.”

An expert familiar with crime scenes, who declined to be named, said it is rare for a corpse to be left uncovered for such a long time.

He said: “But the police have to conduct their investigation, no matter what.

“It is just unfortunate that the body was found on such a busy road, (and resulted in) so many people taking photos of the body (from behind) the police cordon.”

TNPS understands that Mr Niu-ge’s body was not covered so that the police forensics team could conduct their investigation.

Police officers were seen taking photos of the scene and the body.

Investigators also found several weapons, including a long wooden stick and a short knife, at the scene.

A visibly shocked coffeeshop assistant at Victoria Food Court in Lorong 23 witnessed the confrontation between the two men just before Mr Niu-ge collapsed.

The middle-aged woman, who declined to be named, said the attack happened a few metres outside the coffee shop at 8am.

She told TNPS in Mandarin: “I think there were two rounds of fighting because Niu-ge already had injuries at the back of his head when he was at the coffee shop.

“I only saw the second attack from behind and the attacker ran away in the direction of Lorong 21.”

She recognised the attacker, whom she said was a regular at the coffee shop who would order hot tea every morning.

She said: “He has messy hair and was a little crazy, always talking to himself. I tried to avoid him as much as possible.”

Mr Tan Zhi Jia, 32, an assistant at another coffee shop in Lorong 23, told TNPS there was closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the victim at his coffee shop at about 7.45am.

He said: “He went to the kitchen to wash his hands, which had blood on them. He told my colleagues that he had fallen down.”

Workers at the coffee shops along Lorong 23 had contrasting impressions of the victim.

Ms Audrey Liang, 37, who sells tissue paper, said she heard he had a debt problem.

She said: “He was always alone and kept to himself. I heard that he was hot-tempered too.”

However, Mr Tan said Mr Niu-ge was chatty and friendly.

The Chinese national, who has been here for six years, said: “We would talk about Singapore, and he would tell me about his job.”

A police spokesman said they received a call asking for assistance at about 8am.

A man was found lying motionless on the ground. About 10 minutes later, he was pronounced dead.

Police are investigating the unnatural death.

Anyone with information should call the police hotline at 1800-255-000 or submit the information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Source: The New Paper

July 11, 2016