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Tag: ISIS

  • Vulnerable Youths Are Easy Prey For Terrorism Propaganda

    Vulnerable Youths Are Easy Prey For Terrorism Propaganda

    They may be bored, looking for excitement, or simply think that radicalism is an adventure.

    Those were some of the reasons terrorism experts cited as to why vulnerable young people can be influenced by terrorist propaganda online.

    On Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that an unnamed 17-year-old youth was arrested earlier this month under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for further investigations into the extent of his radicalisation.

    Another youth, M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i, 19, has been detained since April under the ISA for terrorism-related activities.

    The trend of ISIS targeting young people is a global phenomenon that is likely to persist, said Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.

    He pointed to three “terrorist indicators”: a sudden change of behaviour, isolation from the community and family, and hatred towards other religious communities.

    “As long as Singaporeans remain alert and vigilant (to these indicators), it will be very difficult for a successful terrorist attack to take place,” he said.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • 2 Self-Radicalised Singaporean Youths Arrested, Detained Under ISA

    2 Self-Radicalised Singaporean Youths Arrested, Detained Under ISA

    A Singaporean youth has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for terrorism-related activities since April this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday (May 27).

    Additionally, another youth was arrested in May under the ISA for further investigations into the extent of his radicalisation.

    The youth detained since April, M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i, a 19-year-old post-secondary student, is the first known self-radicalised Singaporean to harbour the intention to carry out violent attacks in Singapore, said MHA.

    Investigations showed that he had made plans to join the terrorist group, Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and that his radicalisation began around 2013 when he started viewing terrorist propaganda online, said MHA.

    The ministry said Arifil then grew to support the radical ideology and violent tactics of ISIS, and befriended individuals online whom he thought could help him join the terrorist group. Arifil also actively surfed the Internet for information on travel routes to Syria so that he could engage in armed violence there, and had done research on making improvised explosive devices.

    Arifil also revealed that if he was unable to join ISIS in Syria, he intended to carry out violent attacks in Singapore, said MHA. He had put “considerable thought” into how he would attack key facilities and assassinate Government leaders. If he was unable to carry out these plans, Arifil planned to carry out attacks in public places “in order to strike fear within our society”, using “easily available” weapons such as knives, added the ministry.

    His intentions to carry out violent attacks were subsequently corroborated by several persons who said he had tried to recruit them to help carry out these plans, according to the MHA. Investigations showed that while these people did not fall prey to Arifil’s attempts to recruit them, they also did not alert the authorities about him, it added.

    “Fortunately, another person who knew Arifil noticed the changes in him, and had brought him to the attention of the authorities, who were then able to investigate the matter and take action before he could carry out his violent attack plans in Singapore,” said MHA.

    The ministry added that another radicalised Singaporean post-secondary youth, 17, was arrested in May under the ISA for further investigations into the extent of his radicalisation. His family was informed of his arrest, and will be kept informed of the outcome of the investigations.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean said Singapore faces real threats from radicalisation, similar to other countries.

    “Our community leaders have worked hard to counter radical ideology. And we should all, from all communities in Singapore, support one another. … All of us must play our part. If you know or suspect anyone who is becoming radicalised, please notify the authorities early,” Mr Teo said.

    “You may be helping to save that person from harming himself and others. And our security agencies will do their utmost to detect and prevent any terrorist attacks.”

    FAMILY, FRIENDS PLAY ROLE IN PREVENTING RADICALISATION

    The ministry said the two young Singaporeans who have been radicalised demonstrate that youth in Singapore can become radicalised too, in particular through the internet.

    The ministry said that family members, friends, colleagues and members of the public have an important role to play in protecting fellow Singaporeans from radicalisation and engaging in terrorist activities.

    “This should be done early, so that Singaporeans at risk of becoming radicalised can be provided proper guidance, supervision and religious instruction, and be saved. Religious institutions and teachers also have an important role to play in engaging young Singaporeans when they have questions on religious matters, and steering them in the right direction,” said the MHA.

    It added that anyone who knows or suspects that a person is radicalised should promptly call the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD).

    “This could save such individuals and allow them to be helped and counselled, so that they are prevented from engaging in violent activities that may cause harm to themselves and others,” said the MHA.

    THREE JI MEMBERS RELEASED

    The MHA also announced in a separate release that three Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members were released in February and May this year after they were “assessed to no longer pose a security threat that required preventive detention”.

    The JI members are Sahrudin Mohd Sapian, Mohamed Rafee Abdul Rahman and Mohamed Rashid Zainal Abidin, it said.

    Sahrudin and Rafee were JI members detained under the ISA in February 2012. They had undergone terrorist training in Afghanistan in 2000, and both men were released from detention and placed on Restriction Orders (RO) on Feb 24, 2014, said MHA.

    The ministry added that Rashid, who was detained under the ISA in May 2006, was a JI member who had undergone terrorist training in south Philippines. He was released from detention and placed on RO on May 26, 2014.

    Additionally, the ROs against four JI members and one self-radicalised individual were allowed to lapse between June 2014 and April 2015. The JI members were Ab Wahab Ahmad, Syed Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mohd Noor and Jahpar Osman, while the self-radicalised individual was Muhammad Thahir Shaik Dawood.

    “All five men had been cooperative and responsive to rehabilitation efforts,” said MHA.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Austria Convicts 14 Year Old Boy For Links With ISIS

    Austria Convicts 14 Year Old Boy For Links With ISIS

    14-year-old boy from Austria who downloaded bomb-making plans onto his Playstation games console was sentenced to a two-year jail term on Tuesday after pleading guilty to terrorism charges, a court spokeswoman said.

    As well as researching how to build a bomb, the boy made contact with militants supporting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria, prosecutors said ahead of the trial. Sixteen months of the sentence were suspended.


    AFP Photo

    The boy, a Turkish national, will serve what remains of the eight-month custodial term in a juvenile detention centre, the spokeswoman for the regional court in Sankt Poelten said. He had been briefly placed in investigative custody in October on suspicion of terrorism-related activity, before being conditionally released.


    AFP Photo

    He was detained for a second time in January. He had faced up to five years in jail for supporting a terrorist organisation and planning an attack. Those charges were based on data found on the boy’s Playstation, including bomb-building plans downloaded from the internet, prosecutors said.

    More than 200 people have left Austria to fight in the Middle East, some 30 of whom have been killed while around 70 have returned, according to the interior ministry. In a separate case, a court in Vienna on Tuesday acquitted a 16-year-old girl accused of preparing to join a jihadi terrorist organisation, according to a court spokeswoman.

     

    Source: www.dnaindia.com

  • Australian Mother Abandons Children To Join ISIS In Syria

    Australian Mother Abandons Children To Join ISIS In Syria

    Jasmina Milovanov left her two children with a babysitter earlier this month in Sydney, Australia, saying she was on her way to pick up a new car. She never came back.

    The 26-year-old single mother is now believed to be in Syria and to have joined the Islamic State militant group, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

    Milovanov’s ex-husband said that he received a text message from her on May 3 while he was in Turkey, telling him to return home to Australia and that she was in Syria, reported The Daily Telegraph. The mother is also believed to have written a now-deleted post on Facebook saying that she was in “Sham,” using an Arabic term for Syria.

    Milovanov’s mother told Australia’s Network 10 television station that her daughter hadn’t mentioned anything about going to Syria, saying, “I even saw her the week before and she was alright. Probably she is brainwashed. She is so young and naive.”

    Milovanov was also friends on Facebook with Zehra Duman, a woman known in Australia to be a recruiter who finds brides for IS extremists,Agence France Presse reported.

    Milovanov’s children are ages 5 and 7. She converted to Islam in her late teens,according to The Daily Telegraph.

    Australia’s counterterrorism minister, Michael Keenan, said Tuesday that authorities are currently monitoring the reports of Milovanov’s recruitment and flight.

    Foreign Minister Julie Bishop commented on Milovanov’s case in Parliament on Tuesday, saying she was “deeply pessimistic about the fate of this apparently troubled young woman.”

    The disappearance of Milovanov comes as Australia is planning to pass a law that would strip citizenship from people suspected of terrorist activities, even if they are not convicted of any crime. The proposed law would only apply to those who possess dual nationality, so as not to leave anyone completely stateless.

    Australia has between 100 to 250 citizens fighting for militant groups in Syria and Iraq, according to a January report from The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence.

     

    Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

  • Security Guard Jailed For Making Facebook Posts Inciting Religious Violence

    Security Guard Jailed For Making Facebook Posts Inciting Religious Violence

    A 28-year-old security guard has been jailed for three months after making Facebook posts inciting readers to religious violence.

    Muhammad Shamin Mohamed Sidek made the two posts on Nov 29 last year after reading a news report of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a dialogue on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Wen Hsien said that Shamin’s posts used “graphic and evocative language” which “further encourages violence along… religious fault lines”.

    She added that the reach of the accused’s words had been magnified by the accessibility of his Facebook platform.

    In mitigation, Shamin said he had deactivated his Facebook account the same day after leaving police custody, and that the posts had been those of  “a simple layman… venting in frustration”.

    District Judge Shawn Ho called the accused’s posts a “grim reminder of how offenders can use technology to stoke the flames of violence… particularly given the current international, regional and domestic security climate”.

    “It is infinitely better to prevent a breakdown in law, order and safety than to deal with an aftermath when untold and often irreparable damage has been done,” he said.

    Shamin was also convicted of possessing contraband cigarettes, which were discovered during a police raid on his Tampines flat.

    He admitted purchasing the 40 packs of Marlboro cigarettes knowing that their duties had not been paid. For this, he received a fine of $3,200, or 16 days’ jail if he defaults.

    For making a document or electronic record containing an incitement to violence, he could have been jailed for up to five years, fined or both.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com