Two self-radicalised Singaporeans have been detained under the Internal Security Act for involvement in terrorism-related activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday (Sep 30).
Muhammad Shamin Mohamed Sidek, 29, and Muhammad Harith Jailani, 18, were detained in August this year. Investigations showed that they had harboured the intention to make their way to Syria to join the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and engage in violence there, MHA said.
Shamin was influenced by ISIS’s online radical propaganda and was earlier convicted and sentenced to three months’ jail under Section 267C of the Penal Code for inciting religious violence through his pro-ISIS postings on social media. MHA said he continued to express support for ISIS throughout his three-month imprisonment and was thus arrested under the ISA in July this year to assess if he posed a threat to Singapore’s security.
Subsequent investigations by the Internal Security Department showed that Shamin planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS once he had raised enough money to fund the trip.
Shamin had also decided that if he was unable to join ISIS, he would consider fighting alongside a regional militant group that he considered to be aligned with ISIS. “He was undeterred by his arrest under the ISA and said he would pursue his plans to join ISIS after his release from detention. Shamin said he was prepared to die in the course of defending the ‘caliphate’ that was declared by ISIS,” MHA added.
Like Shamin, 18-year-old Harith was radicalised by online propaganda put up by ISIS. He harboured the intention to carry out armed attacks for the terrorist group, MHA said. “He was prepared to be trained by ISIS to fight and kill the group’s enemies, and to die in the process so that he would receive divine rewards for dying as a martyr.”
Harith had collected information on how he could travel to Syria and also tried to radicalise those around him to support ISIS’ cause in an attempt to recruit them to join ISIS together with him.
The detentions of Shamin and Harith underline the “persistent ISIS threat” and the threat posed by self-radicalised Singaporeans, MHA said. The ministry noted that a few of the
Singaporeans who have been detained had even been prepared to carry out terrorist attacks in Singapore.
“The Government takes a very serious view of any form of support for terrorism, including but not limited to the use of violence, and will take firm and decisive action against any person who engages in such activities,” the ministry said.
It encourages those who are aware that someone is involved in terrorism-related activities, or who see suspicious activities to promptly inform the Internal Security Department (1800-2626-473) or call the Police (999).
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
