The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today (3 May) released the profiles of eight Bangladeshis who the Ministry claims are part of the radicalised group Islamic State in Bangladesh (ISB). They were planning to over throw the Bangladeshi government.
The Ministry highlighted that S-Pass holder Rahman Mizanur, aged 31, was responsible for setting the group up. The others in the group were all employed in the local construction and marine industries.
Rahman possessed documents on weapons and bomb making, as well as significant amount of ISIS and Al Qaeda radical material, said MHA. He used the materials to recruit ISB members in Singapore from January this year, it added. The group of eight were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in April.
Rahman said he would carry out an attack any where if he was instructed by ISIS making him a threat for Singapore, alleged MHA. There are no specific indications that Singapore had been selected as a target though.
The group had also raised funds to buy firearms to carry out their planned terror attacks in Bangladesh. The funds they had raised has since been seized by MHA. The members had also planned to recruit other Bangladeshi nationals working here to grow their group.
Besides the eight, another five Bangladeshi workers have been repatriated to Bangladesh, MHA said. There were also investigated under the ISA, but investigations showed that they were not involved with ISB. They however “possessed and/or proliferated jihadi-related materials or supported the use of armed violence in pursuit of a religious cause”.
Besides Rahman the seven still being detailed under ISA are:
- Mamun Leakot Ali, 29
- Sohag lbrahim, 27
- Miah Rubel, 26
- Zzaman Daulat, 34
- Islam Shariful, 27
- Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul lslam Sowdagar, 30
- Sohel Hawlader lsmail Hawlader, 29
This is not the first time Bangladeshi nationals have been detained under ISA for terror-related activities. In January, 27 men were reported to have been arrested under the ISA.
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MHA’s press release here: https://www.mha.gov.sg/Newsroom/press-releases/Pages/Detention-of-Eight-Radicalised-Bangladeshi-Nationals–under-the-Internal-Security-Act.aspx