Detained Islamic State supporter in Singapore

A Singaporean was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) after investigations showed that he was “radicalised and harboured the intention” to travel to Syria to join the self-claimed Islamic State (IS), said the Singaporean Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

In a press release on June 25, the MHA said 40-year-old unemployed Imran Mahmood was issued with an order of detention in January.

His radicalisation began sometime in 2013, and became “a strong supporter” of IS’s violent objectives and actions, said MHA. By 2014, Imran had researched on viable entry points for himself into Syria.

He was also prepared to join other militant and terrorist groups involved in the Syrian conflict, namely the Free Syrian Army and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, a faction aligned with the Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, two Singaporeans were placed on restriction orders in March.

They were Mohamad Fairuz Junaidi, aged 39, a food deliveryman and Rasidah Mazlan, 62, a production technician.

Investigations found that they were influenced by ideology of IS and had considered travelling to Syria to join the group or been in contact with foreign organisations suspected of involvement in terrorism-related activities.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) pointed out that the latest cases highlighted the continued threat of self-radicalisation, especially when people do not verify the information they access online and fall prey to radical propaganda that exploit geo-political conflicts.

Source: Vietnam Plus