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Tag: Islamic State

  • Malaysian Woman Charged for Trying to Join IS

    Malaysian Woman Charged for Trying to Join IS

    KUALA LUMPUR — A Malaysian woman who tried to join the outlawed Islamic State movement by marrying one of its militants was charged in court yesterday with supporting terrorism.

    Ummi Kalsom Bahak was charged before the Sepang Sessions Court for allegedly offering to support the Islamic State by attempting to board an Istanbul-bound AirAsia flight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Oct 5 to marry one of its members, Aqif Huessin Rahaizat, and become part of the group.

    The 25-year-old assistant credit controller also faces an alternative charge of attempting to enter Syria to support the Islamic State by marrying Mr Aqif.

    She was alleged to have committed the offence at the same place and time.

    Ummi nodded her head as a sign that she understood the charge that had been read to her before Sessions Court judge Aizatul Akmal Maharani.

    However, no plea was recorded. If found guilty under either charge, she faces a penalty of not more than half of the maximum jail term of 30 years to life imprisonment. The court can also impose a fine and order the seizure of any assets believed to be linked with the offence.

    Ummi, who was unrepresented, was not allowed bail as she had been arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.

    Judge Aizatul set a Nov 20 mention date for the case to be transferred to the High Court. It is understood that Ummi is the first woman in Malaysia to be charged in connection with the Islamic State, but is not the first woman to be arrested under Sosma.

    That dubious distinction goes to Halimah Hussein, 52, who, with former Internal Security Act detainee Yazid Sufaat and cafeteria worker Muhammad Hilmi Hasim, were the first to be detained under the Act on charges of promoting and abetting terrorist activities in Syria.

    On May 20, the Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted and discharged all three from the charges on the ground that Sosma was beyond the powers of the federal constitution, which deals with subversion and action prejudicial to public order, among other matters.

    The Court of Appeal, however, overturned the Lower Court’s ruling — a decision that was upheld by the Federal Court — and they will have to stand trial over the terrorism charges.

    Halimah, however, has since jumped bail and the police have yet to locate her whereabouts.

    The Malaysian police said on Oct 15 that they had detained 14 Muslims suspected of being linked with the Islamic State. Those detained included a trio believed to be leaders of a cell responsible for recruiting, sponsoring and sending Malaysians to fight in Syria. The detentions bring the number of people in Malaysia held for suspected militant links to 36 since April.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Indonesia’s Chief of Defence Force Calls for Greater Regional Cooperation Against IS

    Indonesia’s Chief of Defence Force Calls for Greater Regional Cooperation Against IS

    Indonesia’s chief of defence forces General Moeldoko has called for greater regional cooperation in the global fight against the Islamic State (IS) threat.

    He spoke in Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 29), at a lecture organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. These were his first public comments in Singapore since the appointment of Indonesia’s new President, Joko Widodo.

    In a lecture titled TNI Future Challenges and Opportunities, the General sketched out the broad challenges for the Indonesian armed forces and the importance of regional cooperation. A key focus was the IS threat and the danger it may pose in the future to this part of the world.

    “There have been several people from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia who have gone to Syria and Iraq to join IS. We need to find a common understanding among the ASEAN Chief of Defence Forces, to anticipate the future risk, when these fighters return to their home countries. We need to think of concrete steps to deal with this threat,” he said.

    The General said it is hard to predict the strategy of IS militants and this is why it is critical for regional forces to come together, consider future scenarios and come up with action plans.

    To this end, he said he intends to propose a meeting of regional defence chiefs to discuss the IS threat, at the ASEAN Chief of Defence Forces informal meeting to be held in Malaysia next year. Indonesia hosted a similar meeting earlier this year for military and peacekeeping personnel from 33 countries, at its Peace and Security Centre in Sentul, West Java.

    General Moeldoko emphasised in his lecture that the IS ideology does not represent Islam: “I am a Muslim and I can tell you that IS does not represent the Islam that I know. There will be no chance for IS to spread in Indonesia.”

    He also touched on President Widodo’s vision of making Indonesia a global maritime axis. He said Indonesia plays an important role in maritime security and stressed the need to enhance regional cooperation, to protect the lucrative trade route along the Straits of Malacca.

    The lecture was followed by a 30-minute closed-door question-and-answer session involving more than 100 people. Issues raised included Indonesia’s relations with a rising China, as well as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the impact on regional security.

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore

  • Austrian Teenage Girl Who Joined ISIS ‘Killed in Syria’

    Austrian Teenage Girl Who Joined ISIS ‘Killed in Syria’

    One of two young Austrian women who travelled to Syria to fight with Islamic extremists has reportedly been killed just months after arriving in the country.

    Sabina Selimovic, 15, and Samra Kesinovic, 16, both the daughters of immigrant families from Bosnia, left their homes in Vienna in April with the apparent intention of fighting for Syrian rebels.

    They are thought to have travelled to Turkey and then to have crossed the border into Syria, having become radicalised after attending a local mosque in Vienna and reading about jihad on the internet.

    They posted on social media photographs of themselves handling assault weapons and wearing black, full length burkas.

    But Austrian authorities now think one of them – they have so far refused to divulge which one – may have been killed during fighting.

    “The parents of the girl concerned have been informed that there is a risk that their daughter is dead,” said Konrad Kogler, the director-general of public security for Austrian police.

    Alexander Marakovits, a spokesman for the Austrian interior ministry, told The Salzburger News: “We also have this information, but cannot say with absolute certainty that it is true. But the parents have been informed their daughter could be dead.”

    Austrian authorities fear that the two teenagers’ example is inspiring other young, radicalised Muslim women to travel to Syria and volunteer to fight.

    In Germany, meanwhile, an alleged jihadist went on trial on Monday, accused of fighting in Syria for Isil.

    In the first German criminal proceedings involving Isil, Kreshnik Berisha, a 20-year-old born near Frankfurt to a family from Kosovo, has been charged with membership of a foreign terrorist organisation.

    He could face 10 years in prison if convicted by the city’s superior regional court.

    Berisha is believed to have become radicalised when he fell in with a group of Muslim fundamentalists while on a job training programme.

    Federal prosecutors say Berisha travelled to Syria via Turkey in July 2013 with other Islamists planning to join the fight to create an Islamist “caliphate” straddling Syria and Iraq.

    Soon after his arrival, Berisha allegedly underwent firearms training and was put to work as a medic and a guard.

    In the six months he spent in Syria, he is believed to have fought in at least three battles on the side of the jihadists against President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.

    He returned home for reasons that are unclear to German authorities in Dec 2013 and was arrested at Frankfurt airport.

    Authorities estimate around 400 German nationals have travelled to Iraq and Syria to battle for the militants.

    Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/austria/11098039/Austrian-teenage-girl-jihadist-killed-in-Syria.html

  • Another Malaysian ISIS Member Died in Syria After Ambush by Syrian Forces

    Another Malaysian ISIS Member Died in Syria After Ambush by Syrian Forces

    Former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Lotfi Ariffin reportedly died today in Syria after succumbing to his injuries, according to a Malaysian fighting in the Middle East.

    The news of Lotfi’s death was posted on the Facebook account of Abu Talhah II, one of the 40-odd Malaysians fighting alongside Islamic State of Iraq and Syria forces.

    Facebook users posted condolences in the comment section upon reading of the death of Lotfi, who had been injured after an ambush by Syrian forces.

    Lotfi had reportedly been with a group of Malaysian Isis fighters when they were caught in an ambush by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

    During the fight, Lotfi suffered severe injuries and fell into a coma, although his condition was later reported to be stable.

    His older brother, Mohd Zainon Ariffin, 53, had confirmed Lotfi’s condition last week, saying he had been informed that his sibling appeared to be recovering.

    Zainon said he had been informed of Lotfi’s condition by his brother’s friends through Facebook although no images had been uploaded.

    Lotfi  courted controversy in June when he disclosed his involvement in the ongoing civil war in Syria.

    This resulted in his sacking from PAS as the Islamist party said it did not condone nor encourage its members to participate in armed movements.

    Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ex-pas-member-lotfi-ariffin-killed-in-syria#sthash.6H0DwhoW.dpuf

  • Penang-born Husband Took Singaporean Wife and Two Children to Syria, Join ISIS

    Penang-born Husband Took Singaporean Wife and Two Children to Syria, Join ISIS

    A 37-year-old Penang-born man has brought his Singaporean family to Syria where they are believed to be in different locations fighting alongside jihadists or supporting them.

    His Singaporean wife was a 47-year-old widow who had a daughter and a son – aged 18 and 14 – from a previous marriage, The Star newspaper reported on Friday.

    The report quoted sources as saying the family went to Syria in November, but did not stay together.

    “The authorities believe the man joined the Jabhat Al-Nusra group and his stepson the IS (Islamic State),” the sources told the newspaper. IS is also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    “The wife worked as a cook while the daughter taught English to the children of the fighters in Syria,” one source was quoted as saying.

    The family members are believed to be in different parts of Syria, according to the newspaper. One possible location is east Hama, where jihadists are known to have set up a base of operations.

    Authorities are keeping close tab on the family and trying to find out how they were influenced to go to Syria, said the report. The sources said the authorities believe their decision had to do with the woman’s former husband.

    In July, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean disclosed in parliament that several Singaporeans are among 12,000 foreigners taking part in the armed conflict in Syria, including a couple of parents who had taken along their children

    Among the “handful” of Singaporeans is said to be a woman who went with her foreign husband and their two teenage children.

    “The whole family is taking part in the conflict in various ways, either joining the terrorist groups to fight, or providing aid and support to the fighters,” said Mr Teo, who is also Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister.

    Another man, Haja Fakkurudeen Usman Ali, 37, took with him his wife and three children between the ages of two and 11. He is a Singapore citizen who was an Indian national, the Home Affairs Ministry had said in March when announcing that he was under investigation.

    Several other Singaporeans had planned to join the conflict but were detained before they could set off, and some others were under investigation, said Mr Teo.

    The Star newspaper had earlier reported that five former Internal Security Act detainees are among 40 Malaysians who have joined the militants.

    The five named include 45-year-old former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was injured in an attack which killed the youngest Malaysian jihadist in Syria on Tuesday. Mohammad Fadhlan Shahidi Mohammad Khir, 21, from Kedah was the second Malaysian jihadist to be killed in Syria.

    The first Malaysian militant to die in Syria was Abu Turob, 52, who was killed during an attack by tanks and snipers on Aug 19.

    In Putrajaya, Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on Malaysians to reject extremist views and protect the country’s image. He said the actions of a few individuals did not reflect the true nature of the country and its people.

    “We don’t want Malaysia to be presumed internationally as a breeding ground for terrorists (and) we must protect the image of our religion and country based on the principle of moderation or wasatiyyah.

    “This principle has to be defended by all citizens. We have to avoid being extreme left or extreme right.”

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysian-man-took-singaporean-family-join-syria-jihadists-report-20