2 suspected militants arrested in Singapore 'did not pose security threat': MHA

SINGAPORE – The two Malaysians working in Singapore who were arrested by Malaysian police for allegedly hatching terrorist plots “did not pose a security threat to Singapore”, the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said on Sunday (March 25).

Seven suspected terrorists, two of whom were working as janitors in Singapore, were arrested by the Malaysian police in the course of a two-week counter-terrorism operation.

In a statement on its Facebook page on Saturday (March 24), the Royal Malaysia Police said six of the suspects were Malaysian members of an Islamic State (IS) cell who were arrested in Johor for allegedly planning attacks on non-Muslim places of worship in the Malaysian state, and plotting to kill police personnel.

The seventh suspect, a Filipino who is an Abu Sayaf member, was arrested in Sabah.

Two of the suspects – in their 20s – were arrested on March 1. They were working in Singapore as janitors prior to their arrests. One of the suspects was found to have acted as an intermediary in the purchase of firearms for the terrorist cell, while the other was arrested to help the police with investigations.

In a media statement on Sunday, MHA said: “Following information received from the Malaysian authorities, the Singapore authorities picked up the two Malaysians who were said to be involved in terrorist plots in Malaysia for investigations.

“Both men were handed over to the Malaysian authorities after our investigations showed that they did not pose a security threat to Singapore.”

The Malaysian police said the suspects were arrested in multiple operations spanning between Feb 27 and March 15 in the country.

In the first operation on Feb 27, three suspects between the ages of 30 and 49 were arrested. The first suspect, a 37-year-old man, was believed to be the mastermind behind the planned attacks on the non-Muslim places of worship in Johor. He was also actively recruiting new members to the IS cell.

“The second suspect is a 49-year-old security officer who acts as an adviser to the terror cell,” said the Malaysian police. The police added that this suspect was tasked with ensuring that cell members kept their activities a secret and that those who leaked their secrets were given orders to be killed.

The third suspect is a 30-year-old security guard who was tasked with acquiring firearms from neighbouring countries, the police said. He also allegedly conducted “recce” sessions on non-Muslim places of worship for potential targets.

The police added that the three suspects had planned to escape from the country following the success of their mission and had wanted to seek refuge from other terrorist groups in the region.

Three other members of the IS cell were arrested in follow-up operations by the police – including the duo who worked in Singapore.

The other, a 25-year-old waiter, was arrested on Feb 28. He had received orders from the group to kidnap and kill members of the police force.

Another police operation in Sabah on March 15 saw the arrest of an Abu Sayaf member. The 31-year-old man is said to be linked to Malaysian militant Mahmud Ahmad who had joined an IS cell in southern Philippines.

He is also wanted by the Philippines authorities for his involvement in a kidnap-for-ransom syndicate.