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Eight Bangladeshis in Singapore detained under ISA for alleged terror plots

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The photos of the eight Bangladeshi nationals who were arrested last month under the ISA. (Photo: Ministry of Home Affairs)

As members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Bangladesh (ISB), they had planned to topple the Bangladeshi government through violent means and bring it under the aegis of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

They possessed materials on weapons and bomb-making, and had raised funds to buy firearms for terror plots back home. They had also worked up a list of targets, including Bangladeshi government and military officials, “media peoples” and “disbelievers”.

Last month, eight Bangladeshi men aged between 26 and 34 were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). They are: Rahman Mizanur, 31; Mamun Leakot Ali, 29; Sohag Ibrahim, 27; Miah Rubel, 26; Zzaman Daulat, 34; Islam Shariful, 27; Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar, 30; Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader, aged 29.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday (3 May), the men were all employed in the construction and maritime sectors in Singapore. One was an S-Pass holder while the other seven were Work Permit holders.

ISB, a clandestine group, was set up by Rahman MIzanur in March. They had initially sought to travel to the Middle East, in order to become foreign fighters with ISIS. However, as they felt it would too difficult to make their way to Syria, they decided to focus on their home country instead. They also planned to recruit other Bangladeshi nationals working in Singapore.

According to an MHA press release, ISB poses a security concern to Singapore because of its support for ISIS and its readiness to resort to the use of violence overseas.

“The detained ISB members are still under investigation for their activities in Singapore. Rahman Mizanur has said he would carry out an attack anywhere if he was instructed by ISIS to do so, though there are no specific indications that Singapore had as yet been selected as a target,” said the Ministry.

Speaking to Yahoo Singapore, Alexander Neill, Shangri-La Dialogue Fellow for Asia Pacific security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia (IISS-Asia), said that the threat posed to Singapore is a major concern even if the country is not targeted by radicalised foreigners.

“If the cell realises that it is being uncovered and that deportation is not going to be an option for them, then they may target key areas in Singapore. The leadership here views the threat from Islamic State and radical jihadists as credible and imminent,” Neill said.

MHA said that another five Bangladeshi workers who were also investigated under the ISA have been repatriated. Investigations showed that they were not involved in ISB, but they possessed and/or proliferated jihadi-related materials, or supported the use of armed violence in pursuit of a religious cause.

The announcement by MHA was the second such detention of Bangladeshi nationals under the ISA in recent months. In January, MHA announced the arrests of 27 Bangladeshis who were planning to wage jihad against their government.

MHA said, “The Singapore Government takes a very serious view of any form of support for terrorism. Any person, foreigner or otherwise, who engages in any activity that is inimical to Singapore’s national security and racial and religious harmony will be firmly dealt with under the law. In this connection, foreigners should not import their own domestic political agenda into Singapore and carry out activities here in pursuit of such an agenda.”

Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of policy studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that it is critical that Singapore takes pre-emptive measures to quell the threat from radicalised foreigners.

“We need to better understand how extremist ideology has percolated amongst this particular community, what were the reasons that led these individuals to embrace the ideology and what are the effective ways to immunise them against such appeals,” he said.

IISS-Asia’s Neill said that should an act of terror be carried out in Singapore, the people in the country should be prepared to deal with the aftermath.

“If an attack does take place, how people react to that, on the streets for example, is crucial. All it takes is one individual to go into a crowded area to detonate an improvised explosive device. A sense of national cohesion is very important,” he said.

- additional reporting by Vernon Lee