SINGAPORE — In what are the first cases of self-radicalised uniformed officers here, two Singaporean auxiliary police officers have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Tuesday (June 20). Both men were arrested in May and issued ISA orders this month. They have since been sacked by security firm Aetos, with their last day of service on June 1.  

Muhammad Khairul Mohamed, 24, was detained under the ISA for wanting to take part in the sectarian conflict in Syria by taking up arms for the Free Syrian Army — defectors that aim to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

His colleague, Mohamad Rizal Wahid, 36, was issued a restriction order by the ministry for supporting his intention to undertake armed violence in Syria. 

In a statement, the MHA said the Government took a serious view of anyone who supports or attempts to take up armed violence, “particularly so if the person involved is a public servant, and especially if he or she is a uniformed officer”.

“Anyone who supports or abets another person’s radicalisation or intention to undertake violence also poses a security threat to Singapore and Singaporeans. Such individuals will be dealt with firmly,” the ministry added.

According to MHA, Khairul was an outrider at Woodlands checkpoint with Aetos Traffic Enforcement Division. TODAY understands that since he joined Aetos in 2015, he had been armed in previous duties at Woodlands checkpoint. 

He started to be radicalised in 2012 when he went online to gather more information about the conflict in Syria, after reading about it in mainstream media reports. 

He developed the view that the Syrian conflict was a struggle between the Sunnis and Shias and, being a Sunni Muslim, he wanted to fight against the Shias by joining the Free Syrian Army.

Khairul perceived the conflict to be a holy war and was prepared to die in battle as a “martyr” and receive divine rewards, said the MHA. 

In 2014, he tried to reach out, via Facebook, to a foreign militant and two others he believed to be supporters of the Free Syrian Army. He wanted to find out how he could make his way to Syria.

At the point of his arrest, he was still interested to join the Free Syrian Army or any other militant groups in Syria and engage in armed violence there, said the ministry. “His readiness and proclivity to resort to violence in pursuit of a religious cause makes him a security threat to Singapore,” MHA added.

Several of Khairul’s relatives and friends knew of his intention to fight in Syria but none of them reported him to the authorities, MHA pointed out.

For instance, Rizal, Khairul’s colleague at Aetos, had known about his desire to take part in armed violence 2015 as Khairul had confided in him.

“Rizal not only failed to bring the matter to the attention of the authorities or the Aetos management, he even suggested to Khairul various ways to get to Syria and to die there as a ‘martyr’,” said the MHA. “As an auxiliary police officer, he should have been aware of the prevailing terrorism threat and his failure to dissuade Khairul and report him to his superior officer was a serious lapse of judgment.”

Rizal, who has been issued with a restriction order under the ISA, was also deployed by Aetos at Woodlands Checkpoint. He was an armed officer conducting general security duties, said the MHA. He did not share Khairul’s desire to take part in armed violence. A restriction order bars one from changing his residence or employment, or travelling out of Singapore, without prior approval of the Internal Security Department (ISD) director. He may not issue public statements, print, distribute or contribute to any publication, or hold office or be a member of any organisation without prior approval of the ISD director.

Last week, MHA announced that a 22-year-old infant care assistant had been detained for radicalism. Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari wanted to be an Islamic State “martyr’s widow” and was actively planning to make her way to Syria with her young child in tow. Despite being aware of her intentions, her family did not alert the authorities, and a family member even destroyed important evidence. 

Reiterating its plea for the public to step forward if they know someone who may be radicalised, MHA said anyone with relevant information can call 1800-2626-473.

MAINTAIN CONFIDENCE IN POLICE OFFICERS: MHA 

MHA strongly urged the public “not to let the cases... detract from the good work of the wider pool of Muslim police officers, or affect their confidence in our police officers”. “We must remember that the overwhelming majority of our Muslim police officers perform their duties diligently.” it added. 

MHA reiterated that the detection of “warning indicators of radicalisation” should not be confined to the workplace. “Relatives, friends and the community are best placed to notice tell-tale signs or behavioural changes,” it said.

On its part, the ministry said that officers in the Singapore Police Force (SPF) must meet a set of stringent selection criteria. The SPF conducts a “series of recruitment vetting procedures” on all shortlisted applicants. In addition to meeting the minimum educational, physical and medical requirements, security and background checks are also carried out. Based on operational requirements, officers deployed to certain positions are required to go through regular security screening. 

MHA added that police officers are deployed in teams, and supervisors and co-colleagues are regularly reminded to be alert to signs of radicalisation among their officers and peers. Officers are also sensitised to the evolving terrorist threats and security climate, including the threat of self-radicalisation, the ministry said. 

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said it was disturbing that both Khairul and Izzah were self-radicalised through social media. 

Reiterating that social media is not the appropriate platform to receive religious guidance and instruction, Muis said it was developing the capabilities of local religious teachers to engage Singaporean Muslims on social media. 

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church reiterated the need to “stand by our Muslim brothers and sisters”. It noted that the latest cases underlined the importance of personal responsibility amid the terror threat.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said: “We cannot depend solely on our security agencies or the government to protect us from acts of terrorism here. So we all need to step up... stay alert and report any activity that could threaten the safety and freedom of our families and neighbours.”