Singaporean man detained for terrorism-related activities gave false information under Passports Act

A Singaporean man, who was detained under the Internal Security Act after he actively spread radical ideology online and helped radicalise at least two other citizens, appeared in a district court on Thursday (Oct 8) to face one charge under the Passports Act.

Under the Act, Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, now 49, is accused of giving false or misleading information.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in an earlier statement that he became radicalised as early as 2001 after reading hardline material, supporting groups like Al-Qaeda and the Jemaah Islamiah.

MHA had also said that Zulfikar advocated for Muslims to take up arms in Afghanistan after the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

He later resettled his family in Australia in 2002 and continued to pursue extremism by joining a hardline organisation called Hizbut Tahrir.

Zulfikar was arrested and detained for terrorism-related activities when he returned to Singapore for a visit in July 2016.

His case under the Passports Act has been adjourned to Oct 22.

If convicted of the offence, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $10,000.

Source: Trap Town