8 Bangladeshis took radical turn after arriving in Singapore

SINGAPORE — When they first came to Singapore, the eight Bangladeshis recently detained here for plotting terror attacks in their home country were not known to be radicalised or involved in terrorism-related activities, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which released more details of the first all-foreigner terror cell detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) here.

Having worked here for between three and 10 years for different companies, the men started getting approached by Rahman Mizanur to join a clandestine terror cell here called Islamic State in Bangladesh (ISB), which was set up in March with the aim of bringing Bangladesh under the Islamic States’ self-declared caliphate by toppling the Bangladeshi government by force.

ISB meetings were largely held at open parks and fields, and the members shared “large amounts” of propaganda material, which deepened their radicalism. The group also had an organised structure, where members had specific roles and responsibilities, such as leader, deputy leader, and caring for finance matters.

Some ISB members are personally acquainted with members of the Bangladeshi radical religious group arrested late last year, but there is no indication that the two groups are affiliated or that those in the ISB belonged to the other group, said the MHA. They got to know each other after they “chanced upon one another” in Singapore.

In January, the MHA revealed that 27 Bangladeshi workers here had been arrested after they were found to be contemplating armed jihad overseas as well as in their homeland.

Speaking to the media after a closed-door forum on the threat of violent religious extremism in Singapore with Temasek Polytechnic students on Wednesday (May 4), Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said organised groups such as the ISB present a “serious” threat that should concern Singaporeans.

“They were looking at bomb making, materials of sniper rifles, they had collected money and they had a list of targets. They had pledged allegiance to IS and called themselves the Islamic State of Bangladesh. It is pretty serious, so we have detained them,” he said. The men have been placed under a two-year Detention Order as of late last month.

The ISB members had raised funds among themselves to purchase firearms to carry out their attacks but are not known to have acted on these plans yet. The undisclosed sum of monies have been seized, and several of the detainees may be liable for prosecution for terrorism financing, said the ministry, which declined further comment on this issue as investigations are still ongoing.

Mr Shanmugam said that although there were no indications that ISB had planned attacks here, Singapore could have been a target because the group’s members “were prepared to attack anywhere”.

“If they were directed to attack in Singapore, they would. So it shows the seriousness, it brings home, again, (that recent terror episodes in) Paris, Jakarta, are here to stay,” he said.

The MHA said Bangladeshi authorities have been informed of the group and its activities. At least two more ISB members are in Bangladesh, the detained members had told Singapore authorities.

Five other Bangladeshis who were found to have no involvement in ISB were deported for possessing and/or proliferating jihad-related material or supporting armed violence for a religious cause.

Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported that they had been arrested in Dhaka on Wednesday morning. They are Evan Galib Hassan Chowdhury, Rana Masud, Pailot Md Rana Miea, Islam Tanjemul and Alomgir Md.

According to the newspaper, they were found with books by Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani, the detained spiritual leader of banned local militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team.

Mr Shanmugam said that in this case, security agencies in Singapore have done well in identifying the ISB and taking prompt action to thwart their plans, he said.

When asked if the community was involved in uncovering the group, Mr Shanmugam would only say: “I can only say that our security agencies have done well ... The information did not come from the community.”

Asked if the authorities would consider banning websites that carry radical influences, he said: “Blocking sites is not the way to go, we have to put a lot of emphasis on education, inoculation, but also recognise that different people face different influences. These ideas are sweeping through the world and the entire region, (including) Singapore.”

Besides the eight Bangladeshis, another 15 Singaporeans are currently detained under the ISA for terrorism-related activities.