Jump to content

27 radicalised Bangladeshis arrested under ISA: MHA


Bystander50
 Share

Recommended Posts

SINGAPORE - 27 male Bangladeshi nationals who were radicalised and supported extremist beliefs have been arrested under the Internal Security Act.

 

 

In a statement on Wednesday (Jan 20), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revealed that the group, who had been working in the local construction industry, were arrested by the Internal Security Department (ISD) between Nov 16 and Dec 1 last year.

MHA said that of the 27 arrested, 26 were members of a closed religious study group that supported the armed jihad ideology of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

 

 

The other Bangladeshi national was not a member of the group, but was found to be in the process of becoming radicalised and possessed jihadi-related material.

"A significant amount of radical and jihadi-related material like books and videos, including footages of children undergoing training in what appeared to be terrorist military camps, were recovered from the possession of the group," MHA said, adding that several members had a shared document that had graphics and instructions on how to conduct "silent killings"

 

Group members had taken measures to avoid detection by authorities, but held weekly gatherings where they discussed armed jihad and shared jihadi-related materials among themselves.

"They also targeted the recruitment of other Bangladeshi nationals to grow their membership," the ministry said.

Investigations revealed that several of the group had contemplated travelling to and participating in armed jihad in the Middle East.

However, although members were encouraged to return to Bangladesh to wage armed jihad against the country's government, it is learnt that they had no plans to carry out terrorist attacks in Singapore.

MHA said that the work passes of the 27 had been terminated, and 26 have been repatriated to Bangladesh, where authorities have been informed of the circumstances of their repatriation.

The last of the group is currently serving a jail sentence for attempting to leave Singapore illegally, and will be repatriated after he completes his sentence.

 

The arrests come during a period of heightened concerns over terrorism in the region, after two civilians were killed in a bomb attack carried out by ISIS militants in Jakarta last Thursday (Jan 14). Subsequently, Malaysian police also arrested an alleged lone-wolf suicide bomber who planned to carry out an attack in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said in a Facebook post that he was "deeply concerned" over the arrests.

"Terrorism is a continuing threat that can have a grave impact on all of us. I appeal that we be more vigilant, whether against radical teachings and ideologies, or of any suspicious activities around us," he wrote.

But Mr Yaacob, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, also called upon Singaporeans not to discriminate against foreign workers, saying that "the actions of a few cannot determine how we treat others who have worked so hard to build our homes, schools and hospitals."

 

Source : http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/27-radicalised-bangladeshis-arrested-under-isa-mha

 

 

↡ Advertisement
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...