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Profiles: Four arrested under ISA

Mohammad Razif Yahya, 27, and Amiruddin Sawir, 53

Reuters file photo

Reuters file photo

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Mohammad Razif Yahya, 27, and Amiruddin Sawir, 53

Razif and Amiruddin were detained for voluntarily taking up arms and participating in the armed sectarian conflict in Yemen. 

They had commenced religious studies in a religious institution in Yemen in January 2010 and July 2013, respectively, and volunteered to undertake armed sentry duties at the religious institution against any incursion by Houthis, a Shia group in Yemen. 

Razif, who was at various points in time armed with an AK-47 rifle and a Dragunov sniper rifle, had volunteered for sniper training, which he put into use when fighting the Houthis. 

Amiruddin, who was armed with an AK-47 rifle, was also involved in a firefight with the Houthis.

Razif and Amiruddin were prepared to kill and be killed as ‘martyrs’ in the sectarian conflict in Yemen. By taking up arms in Yemen, they have demonstrated a readiness to use violence to pursue their religious cause. As such, they are assessed to pose a security threat to Singapore, the Ministry of Home Affairs said. 

Mohamed Mohideen Mohamed Jais, 25

Mohideen had performed armed sentry duties in Yemen while pursuing religious studies there from 2009 to early 2011. He understood that he had to return fire using the AK-47 assigned to him, with the aim to kill if there was an incursion by the Houthis.
 
During his stint, Mohideen did not encounter any situation that required him to open fire. He has since been placed on a Restriction Order (RO) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) with effect from this month.

Wang Yuandongyi, 23

Wang intended to travel to Syria to join a Kurdish militia group that is fighting against the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He left Singapore in January for an unspecified country, from where he intended to make his way to Turkey and onward to Syria.
 
Someone who became aware of his plans reported him. At the request of Singapore, Wang was located by the authorities of the unspecified country and he was turned back to Singapore. He was arrested under the ISA and placed on an RO with effect from this month. 
Investigations showed that Wang first learnt about the Kurds through newsfeeds in November last year and subsequently looked up information online about ISIS’ attacks against the Kurds in Syria.
 
He began to empathise with the plight of the Kurds and to detest ISIS. At the same time, he was looking to escape from personal setbacks, including his financial liabilities arising from a failed business venture. In December last year, Wang initiated online contact with a Kurdish militia group to express his interest to join the group in their fight against ISIS. At the same time, he communicated with like-minded individuals online about joining the militia group and had discussed with at least two such individuals about possible travel routes to Syria. 

When he left Singapore with the intention to fight in Syria, he took with him some Singapore Armed Forces-issued military gear such as his uniform and boots that he planned to use in the battlefield.

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