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Tag: ISIS

  • Singapore Detains First Woman For Radicalism Under ISA After She Planned To Join Islamic State

    Singapore Detains First Woman For Radicalism Under ISA After She Planned To Join Islamic State

    The 22-year-old preschool teacher had been posting pro-ISIS material online since 2014 and was also looking for a terror supporter in Syria to marry.

    SINGAPORE: Singapore has detained its first female citizen for radicalism under the Internal Security Act (ISA), said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday (June 12).

    Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, a 22-year-old contract infantcare assistant with the PCF (PAP Community Foundation) Sparkletots preschool programme, was detained in June this year.

    Her radicalisation started in 2013 through online propaganda related to the Islamic State terrorist group, said MHA.

    “She began to believe that ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) represented the true spirit of Islam. Her radicalisation deepened over time,” a press release read. “This was exacerbated by a wide network of foreign online contacts which she developed. They included ISIS militants and supporters, some of whom have either been killed in Syria or arrested for terrorism-related activities.”

    Since 2014, Izzah actively posted and shared pro-ISIS material online. Several of her social media platforms were removed by administrators because of such content, but she created new ones.

    MHA said Izzah was also intent on joining ISIS and was actively planning to make her way to Syria, with her young child, to do so.

    “She supported ISIS’s use of violence to establish and defend its self-declared ‘caliphate’, and aspired to live in it,” said the ministry. “To this end, she said that since 2015, she was looking for ‘a Salafi or an ISIS supporter’ to marry and settle down with him and her child in Syria.”

    “She said she would support her husband if he fought for ISIS in Syria as she believed she would reap ‘heavenly rewards’ if he died in battle. With her ‘elevated status’ as a ‘martyr’s widow’, she felt she could (then) easily marry another ISIS fighter in Syria.”

    Izzah also said she was prepared to undergo military training and engage in armed combat to defend ISIS if called upon by the terrorist group to do so, MHA added.

    Her sister and parents – who are both freelance Quranic teachers – came to know of her radical postings in 2015 and her intention to join ISIS in Syria. They did not alert the authorities and tried on their own to dissuade her, but were unsuccessful.

    Izzah continued down the path of radicalism, said MHA, and in April this year, “boasted” to a contact that the Singapore authorities had not detected her.

    In its press release, the MHA reiterated that importance of family members and friends to let the authorities know of anyone they suspect is being radicalised or planning terror attacks.

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Qatar Calls Decision By Gulf Nations And Egypt ‘Unjustified’; Allegations Against Doha Have ‘No Basis In Fact’

    Qatar Calls Decision By Gulf Nations And Egypt ‘Unjustified’; Allegations Against Doha Have ‘No Basis In Fact’

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain say they are severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

    The Saudi kingdom made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early on Monday, saying it was taking action for what it called the protection of national security.

    The three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries, Reuters news agency reported.

    Saudi also closed the border and halted air and sea traffic with Qatar, urging “all brotherly countries and companies to do the same”.

    The statement appeared to be timed in concert with an earlier announcement by Bahrain, which was similarly cutting ties and halting air and sea traffic between the two countries.

    ‘Unjustified’

    Qatar’s foreign ministry said it regretted the measures by the Arab nations, calling the decisions “unjustified”.

    “The measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact,” the statement said, adding that the decisions would “not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents”.

    “The aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its (Qatar’s) sovereignty as a state,” it added.

    Bahrain’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from the Qatari capital, Doha, within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

    Egypt also announced the closure of its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation “to protect its national security”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

    Etihad Airways, the UAE’s flag carrier, said it would suspend flights to and from Qatar beginning Tuesday morning.

    It was not immediately clear how Monday’s announcement would affect other airlines.

    A Saudi-led coalition which for more than two years has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen separately announced that Qatar was no longer welcome in the alliance.

    A senior Iranian official said the measures by the Arab nations would not help end the crisis in the Middle East.

    “The era of cutting diplomatic ties and closing borders … is not a way to resolve crisis … As I said before, aggression and occupation will have no result but instability,” Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted, referring to the coalition’s involvement in Yemen.

    US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement on Monday while on state visit in Australia, urging the Gulf states to stay united.

    “We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences,” he said in Sydney.

    “If there’s any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) remain united.”

    Tillerson said despite the impasse, he did not expect it to have “any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified fight against terrorism in the region or globally”.

    “All of those parties you mentioned have been quite unified in the fight against terrorism and the fight against Daesh, ISIS, and have expressed that most recently in the summit in Riyadh,” he added, using alternative names for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

    Hacking dispute

    The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf’s Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar’s state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

    Following the hacking on Tuesday, comments falsely attributed to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, were broadcast in Qatar.

    Qatar’s government categorically denied that the comments, in which the country’s leader expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel – while suggesting that US President Donald Trump may not last in power, were ever made.

    “There are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyberattack. [The hackers] will be prosecuted according to the law,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

    UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya kept running the discredited story, despite the Qatari denials.

     

    Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/

  • Two Sites Here Named As Potential Terrorist Targets: SGX Centre And A Port

    Two Sites Here Named As Potential Terrorist Targets: SGX Centre And A Port

    Singapore was “specifically targeted” by terrorists in the past year, with jihadist publications and videos naming two sites as potential targets last October.

    This has resulted in the terrorism threat remaining the highest in recent years, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in its first Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report yesterday.

    It is understood that the targets mentioned were the SGX Centre and a port.

    A spokesman for the Stock Exchange did not confirm that its building was being targeted, but told The New Paper: “SGX takes physical security very seriously and constantly reminds our employees to remain alert and vigilant.

    “Over the years, we have stepped up our security measures and are in close contact with our regulator and relevant government agencies.”

    MHA also said security agencies had worked with the two sites to tighten security measures.

    While there has been no credible intelligence of an imminent attack, MHA said security agencies remain on “high vigilance” because of the “heightened” regional threat.

    “The public should continue to stay alert and be prepared,” it added.

    MHA said the most serious threat comes from Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its affiliates.

    With at least two known ISIS plots to attack Singapore,MHA said: “ISIS has demonstrated that Singapore is very much on its radar.”

    There is also the risk of attacks by those influenced by ISIS propaganda, with the authorities dealing with radicalised Singaporeans and foreigners in recent years.

    The report called radicalised individuals “a grave security concern” as attacks using vehicles and knives can happen anywhere.

    Nanyang Technological University Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said: “The lone-wolf vehicle attacks in London, Nice and Berlin showed that individuals can carry out operations wherever they are.

    “If you can drive a truck or a car, lives can be lost.

    “These are relatively low tech methods that authorities must pay attention to.”

    Another concern for MHA is the release of about 200 terrorist prisoners in the region over the next two years. “They may return to terrorism if they have not been de-radicalised,” it said.

    An MHA spokesman said: “Through this report, we hope Singaporeans will better appreciate the seriousness of the terrorism threat, and to be alert and prepared in the event of an attack.”

    The ministry will issue further reports when necessary.

    Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at RSIS, said: “Dynamic security measures, which involve constant changes, are the best form of security because terrorists are constantly surveying and can predict routine security measures.”

    Mr Gregory Tan, 57, a consultant at BSG Communications, said: “While the Government has prepared us well mentally with practices and rehearsals, nothing can prepare us for the loss of lives, the trauma and the damage caused when it does happen.”

     

    Source: http://www.tnp.sg/

  • At Least 64 Killed, 320 Injured In Kabul Diplomatic Quarter Blast

    At Least 64 Killed, 320 Injured In Kabul Diplomatic Quarter Blast

    A massive blast rocked Kabul’s diplomatic quarters during the morning rush hour on Wednesday (May 31) the latest attack to hit the Afghan capital.

    Afghan officials said at least 64 people have been killed or wounded by a suicide car bombing, according to AFP.

    A huge plume of smoke could be seen rising from the area but it was not clear what the target was and there was no immediate confirmation of any casualties.

    Witnesses said dozens of cars were blocking roads and some wounded people could be seen.

    FRENCH AND GERMAN EMBASSIES DAMAGED 

    The French and German embassy in Kabul were also damaged in Wednesday’s car bomb attack, said French minister Marielle de Sarnez, who added there were no signs at this stage of any French victims.

    “There has been some material damage in the French embassy, as well as in the Germany embassy,” de Sarnez, who is France’s European affairs minister, told Europe 1 radio on Wednesday. She added she had no information on any possible casualties at the two missions.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack came as the resurgent Taliban are stepping up their annual “spring offensive”.

    Huge blast in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter on Wednesday AFP/AFP

     

    The Islamic State group has also claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting an armoured NATO convoy that killed at least eight people and wounded 28 on May 3.

    Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has warned of “another tough year” for both foreign troops and local forces in Afghanistan, where more than one third of the country is outside of government control.

    The blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in the Afghan capital. Kabul province had the highest number of casualties in the first three months of 2017 thanks to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

     

    Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Ominous signs of an Asian hub for Islamic State in the Philippines

    Ominous signs of an Asian hub for Islamic State in the Philippines

    Dozens of foreign jihadis have fought side-by-side with Islamic State sympathizers against security forces in the southern Philippines over the past week, evidence that the restive region is fast becoming an Asian hub for the ultra-radical group.

    A Philippines intelligence source said that of the 400-500 marauding fighters who overran Marawi City on the island of Mindanao last Tuesday, as many as 40 had recently come from overseas, including from countries in the Middle East.

    The source said they included Indonesians, Malaysians, at least one Pakistani, a Saudi, a Chechen, a Yemeni, an Indian, a Moroccan and one man with a Turkish passport.

    “IS is shrinking in Iraq and Syria, and decentralizing in parts of Asia and the Middle East,” said Rohan Gunaratna, a security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

    “One of the areas where it is expanding is Southeast Asia and the Philippines is the center of gravity.”

    Mindanao has been roiled for decades by bandits, local insurgencies and separatist movements. But officials have long warned that the poverty, lawlessness and porous borders of Mindanao’s predominantly Muslim areas mean it could become a base for radicals from Southeast Asia and beyond, especially as Islamic State fighters are driven out of Iraq and Syria.

    Although Islamic State and groups affiliated to the movement have claimed several attacks across Southeast Asia in the last two years, the battle in Marawi City was the first long drawn-out confrontation with security forces.

    On Tuesday, a week after the fighting began, the government said it was close to retaking the city. As helicopters circled, troops cleared rebel positions amid explosions and automatic gunfire, moving house by house and street by street.[nL3N1IW1FS]

    Last year, Southeast Asian militants fighting for Islamic State in Syria released a video urging their countrymen to join the cause in the southern Philippines or launch attacks at home rather than attempting to travel to Syria.

    Jakarta-based terrorism expert Sidney Jones passed to Reuters some recent messages in a chatroom of the Telegram app used by Islamic State supporters.

    In one, a user reported that he was in the heart of Marawi City where he could see the army “run like pigs” and “their filthy blood mix with the dead bodies of their comrades”.

    He asked others in the group to pass information on to the Amaq News Agency, a mouthpiece for Islamic State.

    Another user replied, using an Arabic word meaning pilgrimage: “Hijrah to the Philippines. Door is opening.”

    The clash in Marawi City began with an army raid to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of Abu Sayyaf, a group notorious for piracy and for kidnapping and beheading Westerners.

    Abu Sayyaf and a relatively new group called Maute, both of which have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, have fought alongside each other in Marawi City, torching a hospital and a cathedral, and kidnapping a Catholic priest.

    The urban battle prompted Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to impose martial law across the whole island of Mindanao, an area roughly the size of South Korea with a population of around 21 million.

    FIGHTERS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

    The head of the Malaysian police force’s counter-terrorism division, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, named four Malaysians who are known to have traveled to Mindanao to join militant groups.

    Among them were Mahmud Ahmad, a Malaysian university lecturer who is poised to take over the leadership of Islamic State in the southern Philippines if Hapilon is killed, he said.

    Security expert Gunaratna said that Ahmad has played a key role in establishing Islamic State’s platform in the region.

    According to his school’s research, eight of 33 militants killed in the first four days of fighting in Marawi City were foreigners.

    “This indicates that foreign terrorist fighters form an unusually high component of the IS fighters and emerging IS demography in Southeast Asia,” Gunaratna said.

    According to an intelligence brief seen by Reuters, authorities in Jakarta believe 38 Indonesians traveled to the southern Philippines to join Islamic State-affiliated groups and about 22 of them joined the fighting in Marawi City.

    However, an Indonesian law-enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the actual number of Indonesians involved in the battle could be more than 40.

    Indonesia officials believe some militants might have slipped into Marawi City under the cover of an annual gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat just days before the fighting erupted. The Tablighi Jamaat is a Sunni missionary movement that is non-political and encourages Muslims to become more pure.

    An Indonesian anti-terrorism squad source told Reuters that authorities have beefed up surveillance at the northern end of the Kalimantan and Sulawesi regions to stop would-be fighters traveling by sea to the southern Philippines and to prevent an influx of others fleeing the military offensive in Marawi City.

    “The distance between Marawi and Indonesian territory is just five hours,” the source said. “It should not get to the point where they are entering our territory and carrying out such (militant) activities.”

     

    Source: http://www.todayonline.com