SINGAPORE: Two Singaporean men have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for their involvement in terrorism-related activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday (Feb 15).
Mohamed Kazali Salleh and Hazim Syahmi Mahfoot were both detained in January.
AdvertisementKazali, a 48-year-old businessman based in Malaysia, is a close associate of Syria-based ISIS militant Malaysian Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin @ Akel Zainal, MHA said in a news release.
"Akel is believed to be the most senior Malaysian ISIS fighter in Syria, and was identified by the Malaysian authorities to be responsible for two recent ISIS-linked attack plots in Malaysia," MHA added.
When Akel decided to go to Syria to fight in late 2013, Kazali had provided him with financial assistance for his trip. Kazali also took a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, MHA said.
"In December 2018, Kazali received instructions from Akel to carry out an attack against a Freemasons centre in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, but did not follow through as he was afraid to be caught by the authorities," the ministry stated.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHazim, a 28-year-old freelance car exporter based in Singapore, met Kazali in May 2018 in Singapore.
"They had business dealings, and quickly developed a personal friendship. Hazim was influenced by Kazali’s radical outlook.
"Hazim looked up to Kazali and was convinced by Kazali that he should undertake armed violence against the perceived enemies of his religion, specifically non-Muslims," MHA said.
The Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore and the Malaysian Special Branch (MSB) cooperated closely on investigations into Kazali’s terrorism-related activities and his links with Akel.
Kazali was arrested in Malaysia by MSB officers in December 2018, and was deported to Singapore and handed over to ISD on Jan 7, 2019. He was arrested and subsequently issued with an Order of Detention (OD) under the ISA.
Hazim was in turn arrested in Singapore and subsequently issued with an OD last month.
"These cases highlight the dangers of radicalisation of Singaporeans overseas, and the potential impact within Singapore. The threat of extremism is one which does not respect national borders," MHA said.
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