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Tag: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

  • Singapore Identified As Part Of “East Asia Wilayah” Of ISIS

    Singapore Identified As Part Of “East Asia Wilayah” Of ISIS

    Singapore has been identified by supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group as part of its “East Asia wilayah” or state, a move that analysts say could embolden foreign fighters to carry out attacks here.

    The Republic was among the countries or territories singled out on social media as part of the wilayah – a development flagged by senior analyst Jasminder Singh in a paper published by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies last week. The others are Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, southern Thailand, Myanmar and Japan.

    “For foreign fighters coming into the region, this gives them an idea of what they will be in for, and what the targets are,” Mr Singh told The Straits Times yesterday.

    He had noticed “chatter on social media” this month singling out specific countries as part of the wilayah, which could be the first time this has been done.

    Other security analysts say this could embolden self-radicalised individuals to carry out attacks here, if they are unable to travel to the Middle East to fight.

    The development comes as the terrorism threat facing Singapore is at the highest level in recent years, and the country sees a steady trickle of self-radicalised individuals.

    Experts had warned last year that ISIS would want to create a wilayah, or state, in South-east Asia as it loses territory in the Middle East.

    Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, noted that the exact territorial boundaries of the wilayah in East Asia are unconfirmed, as ISIS has not made an official declaration.

    But he added that it would probably include parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

    Dr Gunaratna said: “The growth of the ISIS threat in Singapore’s immediate neighbourhood presents a threat to security and stability here.”

    In his paper, Mr Singh had discussed the security implications of the ongoing Marawi City siege in Mindanao, where Philippine forces are fighting to retake the city from ISIS-affiliated militants. The attacks there could “motivate other groups” in the region to carry out similar strikes in the region, he wrote.

    Mr Remy Mahzam, associate research fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, said an indication of the boundaries of a future wilayah could prompt self- radicalised individuals who face difficulty in travelling to Syria to carry out attacks in the region instead.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

     

     

  • Another AETOS Officer Placed On Restriction Order, He Supported And Abetted Colleague’s Intent To Take Up Armed Violence In Syria

    Another AETOS Officer Placed On Restriction Order, He Supported And Abetted Colleague’s Intent To Take Up Armed Violence In Syria

    Muhammad Khairul Mohamed’s colleague, Mohamad Rizal Wahid, was put under a restriction order last month for supporting Khairul’s intentions to fight in Syria.

    A person issued with a restriction order is not allowed to move, change jobs, or travel out of Singapore without the authorities’ approval.

    Rizal, 36, was also an AETOS auxiliary police officer at the Woodlands Checkpoint, and was deployed as an armed officer conducting security duties.

    He had been aware since 2015 that Khairul wanted to take part in armed violence in Syria after the latter repeatedly confided in him about his intentions, MHA said.

    However, he not only failed to notify the authorities or AETOS management, and even suggested to Khairul various ways to get to Syria, it said.

    Although Rizal did not share Khairul’s desire to participate in armed violence, as an auxiliary police officer, he should have been aware of the prevailing terrorism threat, the ministry said. His failure to dissuade Khairul and report him to his superior officer was a “serious lapse of judgement”, it added.

    “The Government takes a serious view of anyone who supports, promotes, undertakes or makes preparations to undertake armed violence, regardless of how they rationalise such violence ideologically, or where the violence takes place.

    “This is particularly so if the person involved is a public servant, and especially if he or she is a uniformed officer.”

    Anyone who supports or abets another person’s radicalisation or intention to undertake violence also poses a security threat to Singapore and Singaporeans, MHA said.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

     

  • Islamic State Calls For Attacks On West, Russia, Middle East, Asia, During Ramadan

    Islamic State Calls For Attacks On West, Russia, Middle East, Asia, During Ramadan

    CAIRO – An audio message purporting to come from the spokesman of Islamic State called on followers to launch attacks in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in late May.

    The audio clip was distributed on Monday on Islamic State’s channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging application. It was attributed to the militant group’s official spokesman, Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer.

    The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified, but the voice was the same as a previous audio message purported to be from the spokesman.

    “O lions of Mosul, Raqqa, and Tal Afar, God bless those pure arms and bright faces, charge against the rejectionists and the apostates and fight them with the strength of one man,” said al-Muhajer. Rejectionist is a derogatory term used to refer to Shi’ite Muslims.

    “To the brethren of faith and belief in Europe, America, Russia, Australia, and others. Your brothers in your land have done well so take them as role models and do as they have done.”

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Study: Indonesian Jails Are Breeding Grounds For Terrorists

    Study: Indonesian Jails Are Breeding Grounds For Terrorists

    Prisons in Indonesia, notorious for being overpopulated and under- staffed, remain a fertile breeding ground for pro-ISIS militants, according to a new study.

    These structural problems within the prison system will continue to defeat efforts in deradicalisation, disengagement and rehabilitation, say analysts from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (Ipac) in a report released yesterday.

    As a result, inmates loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are able to recruit and radicalise fellow prisoners with impunity, as well as direct attacks from behind bars, says the study by the Jakarta-based think-tank.

    “Prisons are overcrowded and understaffed, corruption is rife, and inadequate budgets make it easier for well-funded extremists to recruit inmates when they can offer extra food,” Ipac director Sidney Jones said yesterday.

    “No deradicalisation programme is going to be effective unless some of these issues are addressed.”

    There are more than 200,000 inmates in 477 correctional facilities across Indonesia, of which some 300 or more prisons and detention centres are overcrowded.

    The worst is a facility in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, which has more than six times its capacity, leading the warden to turn toilet areas into holding cells.

    Indonesia has about 16,500 prison officers, most of whom have not been adequately trained in areas including the handling of high-risk inmates. With these officers on different shifts in a day, only some 3,650 staff are on duty at any one time.

    This represents a ratio of about one officer to 55 inmates, making it almost impossible to closely monitor all prisoners, including 220 terrorist convicts.

    While the number of inmates in jail for terrorism-related activities is low relative to the total prison population, the stakes are far higher with these “high-risk” offenders.

    The risk is exacerbated with the rising number of terrorist convicts, with more than 120 jailed this year.

    The radicalisation of common criminals by pro-ISIS inmates in prison continues to be a nightmare for both the police and prison officials, according to Ipac.

    At least 18 former criminal offenders have been involved in terrorism cases in Indonesia since 2010, and most were radicalised in prison.

    In one case, an inmate was recruited after he was involved in fights. Two others were recruited because they wanted better food, or had found the tight-knit community of terrorist inmates appealing.

    Another factor in the radicalisation of inmates is the presence of jailed ideologues such as Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of the old Jemaah Islamiah terror network, and Aman Abdurrahman, who is said to have ordered the Jan 14 attack in Jakarta which killed eight people, including the four perpetrators.

    Both Bashir and Aman are known to have followers in and out of prison, and have played active roles in the radicalisation of inmates.

    Efforts have since been made to isolate the militant leaders to prevent the spread of violent ideology.

    The Ipac report also says there is “probably no alternative to isolating the most hardline extremist prisoners in one or two facilities with specially trained staff so that controls on visitors, communications and outside donations can be strictly enforced”.

    Meanwhile, lawmakers on Tuesday asked Parliament for more time to deliberate on proposed legislative changes to beef up the country’s anti-terrorism laws.

    These include allowing the police to hold suspects involved in terror attack plots for up to six months, instead of a week, as well as making it an offence for citizens to join militant groups such as ISIS overseas.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Suspected Malaysian Militants Use Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand As Transit Points to Middle East

    Suspected Malaysian Militants Use Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand As Transit Points to Middle East

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    KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said that suspected militants from Malaysia were using countries like Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand as transit points to travel to the Middle East to join up with extremist groups there, according to the local media.

    He added that his ministry would monitor Malaysians going through these countries on their way to Iraq and Syria, with the help of Interpol and intelligence agencies, reported the New Straits Times (NST) on Friday.

    “We are working with Interpol and our intelligence unit is monitoring these people because they don’t travel straight from Malaysia,” Datuk Seri Zahid was reported by the NST as saying.

    “The government would like to stress that we don’t endorse the Islamic State (IS) militants of Syria and Iraq nor are we a hub for terrorism and a terrorist training centre,” Dr Zahid added, according to the NST.

    He was addressing the media at the 23rd Security Services Association Malaysia Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Friday morning.

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/singapore-among-nations-suspected-militants-use-transit-middle-east

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