SINGAPORE – Two Singaporeans who the government says intended to travel to Syria to fight for Islamic State have been detained under a colonial-era law that allows suspects to be held without trial.

Singapore has been on heightened vigilance since Indonesian police arrested a group of men they believed were plotting a rocket attack on the wealthy city-state with the help of a Syrian-based Islamic State militant.

A major financial centre and the most westernised society in Southeast Asia, multi-ethnic Singapore is increasingly seen as a target for radicalised religious militants, authorities say.

Rosli bin Hamzah, a 50-year-old car washer, and Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi, a 33-year-old waste truck driver, received two-year detention orders this month, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

Both had been radicalised, the ministry said, adding they were prepared to die as martyrs in Syria.

Singapore, which has not suffered a militant attack in decades, deploys extensive surveillance and is largely seen as　one of the safest countries in the world.

Authorities have detained or repatriated dozens of people in the past year, most of them migrant Bangladeshi workers, for suspected links to militant fund-raising or other “terrorism-related activities”.

Read also: Expect more to be seld-radicalised, warns DPM Teo

MHA press release: Issuance of Orders of Detention and Restriction Orders against Four Self-Radicalised Singaporeans under the Internal Security Act

1. Four Singaporeans were dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Aug 2016 for their involvement in terrorism-related activities. Two were issued with Orders of Detention (OD) while the other two were issued with Restriction Orders (RO)[1].

Order of Detention Issued against Rosli bin Hamzah

2. Rosli bin Hamzah (Rosli; Singaporean; aged 50), a car washer, was issued with an OD for a period of two years in Aug 2016. In Jul 2016, he was stopped for investigation when he returned from Batam, Indonesia after visiting his Indonesian wife and children there, and was subsequently arrested under the ISA. Rosli started listening to a Batam-based religious radio station, Radio Hang[2], in 2009, and in Aug/Sep 2014, he was introduced to radical materials promoting the terrorist group that calls itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) through social media contacts who shared his religious orientation. He became interested in armed jihad and ISIS and, as he perused more ISIS propaganda on the Internet, his support for ISIS grew. He eventually became convinced that ISIS militants were fighting for Islam, and that their beheading of ‘enemies’ was religiously permissible. Rosli was prepared to die for the ISIS cause as he thought it would bring him martyrdom status.

3. Rosli was keen to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS and looked up information on travel routes to Syria. He also actively shared radical online contents via his social media accounts, with the purpose of motivating others to support ISIS and engage in armed jihad. At the time of his arrest, he still harboured the intent to engage in armed violence in Syria.

Order of Detention Issued against Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi

4. Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi (Omar; Singaporean; aged 33) was issued with an OD for a period of two years in Aug 2016. He had been making preparations with his wife to go to Syria with their children to join ISIS. There is no evidence at this point that their children were radicalised.

5. Omar, a waste truck driver, started in 2010 to listen to the same Batam-based religious radio station that Rosli had listened to. In 2012, he encountered online materials by radical Al-Qaeda ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki (deceased) which led him to look up more radical materials online in subsequent years, including ISIS-related propaganda. By 2014, Omar was convinced that ISIS was fighting to bring glory to Islam, and that it was his religious duty to become an ISIS fighter in Syria. He was prepared to die a martyr.

8. Omar had tried to seek assistance online from militant entities regarding travel to Syria. One of them was a Syria-based Southeast Asian foreign fighter/recruiter who was later killed in combat in Syria. He also read an online ISIS manual which provided tips for those interested to venture into Syria to join ISIS.

9. In preparation for his travel to Syria to join ISIS, Omar had memorised the bai’ah (pledge of allegiance) which he intended to take to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (al-Baghdadi). In his view, he and his wife would have to carry out any assignments ISIS had for them once he had taken the bai’ah.

Restriction Order issued against Dian Faezah binte Ismail

10. Dian Faezah binte Ismail (Dian; Singaporean; aged 34) is the wife of Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi (Omar). She was issued with a RO for a period of two years in Aug 2016.

11. Dian, a housewife, was an ISIS supporter who believed that the terrorist group’s violent actions were legitimate. She had supported Omar’s intention to join ISIS and take up arms in Syria, and had helped him in his plans to relocate their family in Syria. She has moderated her views and will be undergoing religious counselling.

Restriction Order Issued against Mohamad Reiney bin Noor Mohd

​12. Mohamad Reiney bin Noor Mohd (Reiney; Singaporean; aged 26), a building technician, was issued with a RO for a period of two years in Aug 2016. In 2013, Reiney decided to adopt more fundamentalist religious practices and, in his search for religious knowledge online, he encountered radical ISIS-related materials in 2014. Through his perusal of the ISIS propaganda, he subscribed to the violent ISIS cause, aspired to fight for the ISIS ‘army’ and was prepared to die in battle as he thought it would make him a martyr. Reiney intended to bring his family with him to Syria and had thought of starting to save money for the trip. He had also checked online for travel routes to Syria.

13. Reiney’s positive views about ISIS were moderated after he read negative reports about the group. He has also set aside the intention to travel to Syria to join ISIS after he was admonished by a close relative that it was ‘forbidden’ for him to do so because the fighting in Syria did not concern him and he would be placing his family in harm’s way. He will undergo religious counselling while on RO.

[1] A person issued with a Restriction Order (RO) must abide by several conditions and restrictions. For example, he is not permitted to change his residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore, without the prior approval of the Director ISD. The individual issued with RO also cannot issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute, contribute to any publication, hold office in, or be a member of any organisation, association or group without the prior approval of Director ISD.

[2] Radio Hang sometimes features speakers who preach extreme religious views.​​

SINGAPORE – It’s an event not to be missed where rare watches and coveted jewellery will be on display for the public to view at Ion Orchard.

At this year’s Journey Through Time exhibition held at the Ion Art Gallery located at level 4, visitors can expect to lay their eyes on a rare IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Hand-Wound “Metropolitan Boutique Edition” timepiece, with only 50 pieces worldwide.

Besides watches, the 6th instalment of all glittery delights will also feature diamonds, video walls and light animation.

Products from 13 well-established brands including A. Lange & Sohne, Omega, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Chaumet and Tiffany & Co will be on display at the multimedia exhibition.

Other rare timepieces include the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition “75th Anniversary”, also by IWC, with only 250 pieces worldwide. The Portugieser watch family is marking its 75th anniversary this year.

A 4.55 carat fancy yellow diamond necklace surrounded by 564 round diamonds from Larry Jewelry will also be featured at the exhibition which is open to the public from Aug 18 – 28.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

Rare watches on display at ION Orchard’s multimedia exhibition

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Ion Orchard