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.
Advertisement Kazali, a 48-year-old businessman based in Malaysia, was deported to Singapore in January after being arrested in Malaysia last December.
He is a close associate of Syria-based Islamic State 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. Islamic State is also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS.
[h=3]READ: Islamic State-linked plots in region fell in 2018, but terrorism threat to Singapore remains high: MHA[/h] Advertisement Advertisement [h=3]READ: Radicalised Singaporean IT engineer detained under Internal Security Act: MHA[/h]In December 2018, Kazali received instructions from Akel to carry out an attack against a Freemasons centre in Johor Bahru but did not follow through as he was afraid he would be caught by authorities, the ministry said.
The Royal Malaysia Police on Friday also said that Kazali had been in active communication with Akel and had received instructions from him to recruit several individuals to mount an attack on the Freemasons centre.
Kazali relocated to Malaysia with his family when he was a young child and had been working in Johor Bahru over the past decade.
"He first met Akel in 2009 and became strongly influenced by Akel’s radical views and conspiracy theories. He was convinced by Akel’s belief that Muslims are duty-bound to travel to Syria to fight against those who oppress Muslims," MHA said.
When Akel decided to go to Syria to fight in late 2013, Kazali gave him financial assistance for his trip and continued to support him throughout his time in Syria.
Kazali believed that the help he gave to Akel would guarantee him a place in paradise should Akel achieve martyrdom in Syria, MHA said.
Kazali also took a pledge of allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
He agreed to join Akel in Syria when he was invited by the latter to do so on several occasions. However, he did not act on it as he was not ready to leave his life in Malaysia behind.
Instead, Kazali took to sharing news of Akel’s terrorism-related activities in Syria on social media to inspire others to travel to Syria.
He was also prepared to facilitate the travel of any individual who wanted to undertake armed violence in Syria through Akel.
CAR EXPORTER INFLUENCED BY KAZALI
Hazim, 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.
Hazim believed that all Muslims are duty-bound to travel to conflict zones such as Palestine, Syria and Myanmar to fight non-Muslims there.
He also took a pledge of allegiance to remain loyal and obedient to Kazali, even if it involved carrying out attacks and killing others.
[h=3]READ: Ex-religious teacher and student issued restriction orders under Internal Security Act: MHA[/h][h=3]READ: Restriction orders show challenge of countering radicalisation continues: Masagos Zulkifli[/h]The Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore and the Malaysian Special Branch cooperated closely on investigations into Kazali’s terrorism-related activities and his links with Akel.
Kazali was arrested in Johor Bahru by Malaysian Special Branch officers in December last year, 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 under the ISA.
Hazim was in turn arrested in Singapore and issued an order of detention 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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