Husband and wife among four self-radicalised Singaporeans dealt with under ISA

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Four Singaporeans have been issued detention and restriction orders under the Internal Security Act this month for their involvement in terrorism-related activities, said the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Among them are waste truck driver Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi, 33, and his wife Dian Faezah binte Ismail, 34, a housewife. The couple had been making plans to travel to Syria with their children to join extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Omar was given a two-year Order of Detention (OD). Dian was given a two-year Restriction Order (RO), which prevents her from, among others, changing her residence or employment, or travelling.

Starting in 2010, Omar began listening to Batam-based religious radio station Radio Hang, which sometimes features speakers who preach extreme religious views. In 2012, he also encountered online materials by radical Al-Qaeda ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki.

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. His wife Dian supported him in this endeavour.

Desire for martyrdom

The other two Singaporeans dealt with under the ISA are car washer Rosli bin Hamzah, 50, and building technician Mohamad Reiney bin Noor Mohd, 26. They were issued an OD and an RO, respectively, for a period of two years.

Last month, Rosli was investigated after returning from a visit to his Indonesian wife and children in Batam, Indonesia and subsequently arrested. He began listening to Radio Hang in 2009, and was introduced to radical materials about ISIS via social media contacts.

Rosli became interested in armed jihad and was prepared to die for the ISIS cause as he thought it would make him a martyr. He was keen to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS and also actively shared radical online content on social media.

Reiney encountered radical ISIS-related materials in 2014 while searching for religious knowledge online. He later aspired to fight for ISIS and was prepared to die in battle and become a martyr.

Reiney intended to bring his family with him to Syria and had thought of saving money for the trip. He had also checked online for travel routes to Syria. He will undergo religious counselling while on RO.