Terrorists using 'online ecosystem' to raise funds; Ukraine war potential rallying point for far-right extremism: ISD

SINGAPORE — Terrorist groups in Southeast Asia are increasingly banking on an "online ecosystem" to raise funds and propagandise through social media, with at least 181 terror-linked non-profit organisations in Indonesia known to channel money to these violent groups.

The Internal Security Department (ISD) also said on Wednesday (July 13) that in the West, the threat of far-right extremism has "overshadowed" Islamist terrorism, with the Russian-Ukraine war potentially serving as a "rallying point" for these groups, who have shown an interest in the conflict since Russia's annexed Crimea in 2014.

Highlighting these trends in this year's Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report, ISD said that there is no specific intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack now, but the terrorism threat to Singapore remains high and the country continues to feature as a target on terrorist propaganda.

ISD said that the "virtual network of supporters" for terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), as well as other Islamist terrorist groups, continue to disseminate propaganda, raise money and plot attacks.

Isis continues to pose a "significant security threat globally" despite leadership and territorial losses, the report concluded. 

"With the relaxation of pandemic restrictions and resumption of cross-border travel, terrorist elements may become more active and revisit plots that had been put on hold." 

REGIONAL SITUATION

Within Southeast Asia, Isis affiliates are the primary driver of terrorism and pose the most immediate threat through their ability to mount Isis-inspired attacks.

ISD said that pro-Isis militant factions in southern Philippines "persistently" engage security forces in insurgent-style armed clashes, while Isis-aligned Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) networks in Indonesia have also remained active in plotting attacks.

"In the past year, the number and scale of Isis-linked or inspired terror attacks and plots in Southeast Asia has declined, largely due to strong counter-terrorism measures and Covid-19 travel restrictions," it added.

"Given that travel restrictions around the world are being lifted, this lull is likely to be temporary."

Since the mid-2010s, more than 1,000 Southeast Asians have travelled to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq. At least 600 Southeast Asians reportedly remain in Syria — a significant number are women and children in detention camps.

In May this year, the United States government sanctioned a network of five Indonesian Isis financial facilitators, who had reportedly collected funds in Indonesia and Turkey. The funds were eventually used to smuggle children out of Syrian detention camps to join Isis.

"Despite the distance, these individuals pose a security concern to our region. Battle-hardened fighters could facilitate and direct attacks from abroad," ISD added.

ONLINE TERROR ECOSYSTEM

The regional online terror ecosystem also remains a persistent threat in helping to fund radicalisation and recruitment to Isis-affiliated causes, the report warned. 

"Autonomous media groups and Isis supporters engage in 'cyber jihad', circulating official Isis materials alongside self-produced propaganda.  

"This facilitates the radicalisation and recruitment of a virtual 'caliphate of believers' who remain loyal to Isis, notwithstanding the group’s leadership losses and operational setbacks." 

Isis's announcement of a new leader — Abu Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — in March this year had "swiftly drawn pledges of allegiances from its supporters in Philippines and Indonesia", ISD noted.

This online ecosystem also facilitates communication between regional supporters and the Isis core in Syria and Iraq, and also enables like-minded people in the region to coordinate terror activities across physical borders and exchange operational expertise such as in weapons-making.

"As travel restrictions ease, online collaboration between extremists could manifest as real-world attacks," ISD said.

"Consequently, the region faces a heightened risk of Isis-inspired attacks conducted by homegrown extremists, acting alone or in small groups."

Regional terrorist groups or individuals have also increasingly leveraged social media to raise money, such as with the 181 terror-linked non-profit organisations identified in Indonesia. 

"Often operating under the guise of seemingly legitimate non-profit organisations, they solicit donations by tapping public sympathy for the less fortunate, such as Muslim refugees overseas, and then channelling some of these funds towards terror activities."

EMERGENCE OF FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISM 

The report added that the emergence of far-right extremist has eclipsed Islamist terrorism in some Western countries, noting several attacks in the US over the past three years reportedly inspired by Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019.

In December 2020, ISD detected Singapore’s first case involving an individual self-radicalised by such ideology. The 16-year-old Singaporean was also inspired by Tarrant, and had intended to conduct attacks at two mosques in Singapore.

Far-right elements are known to embrace the gaming culture, using online shooting games as a channel for recruitment, the report said. "In this manner, (far-right) narratives have crossed borders and developed traction amongst youths."

Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine earlier this year had also "amplified interest" within online extremist communities, with many far-right elements likely volunteering to fight for Ukraine. 

"Far-right-aligned foreign fighters and the proliferation of surplus weapons would be likely by-products of a prolonged conflict in Ukraine," the report noted. 

DOMESTIC THREAT SITUATION

ISD said that the threat of self-radicalisation continues to be the primary driver of the domestic terrorism threat in Singapore.

Since 2015, there have been 45 self-radicalised individuals — 33 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners — who have been issued with orders under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The latest case was of a 29-year-old Singaporean mover Radjev Lal Madan Lal who was detained under the ISA in April this year after he had become "deeply radicalised" by the online teachings of radical preachers. 

"The case of Radjev underscores the pervasiveness of terrorist and extremist ideologies online, including those propagated by foreign preachers and ideologues," ISD added.

"It is thus important to maintain Singapore’s zero-tolerance approach towards extremist rhetoric and hate speech, and to inoculate the wider community against radical ideologies."

In the past 12 months, a Singaporean and Bangladeshi were also convicted of terrorism financing offences here under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act, which combats terrorism financing activities.

Since the law was introduced in 2002, there have been 13 convictions under the Act.

The report noted that the global threat from terrorism and radicalisation persists and that Singapore and Singaporeans are not immune.

Urging vigilance, the department said a government survey last year found that two out of three people agree that they are alert and would keep a lookout for suspicious behaviour or items in public.

However, less than half of the survey's 2,012 respondents said that they would contact the authorities if they believed that a family, relative or friend was displaying signs of radicalisation. 

ISD said: "Our strongest defence is our collective vigilance, preparedness, resilience and unity, along with a zero-tolerance approach to those who seek to conduct or finance terrorist acts, or propagate extremist rhetoric to foment divisions within our community."