THREE SELF-RADICALISED SINGAPOREANS DETAINED UNDER ISA

SINGAPORE, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Three Singaporeans, believed to be self-radicalised, were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in November 2024, said Singapore’s Internal Security Department (ISD).

According to ISD statement on Thursday, they are Muhammad Indra Aqmal Effendy, 21, Mohamad Latiff Rahim, 41, and Nurisham Yusoff, 44.

"All three had been separately self-radicalised online, and had made preparations to engage in armed violence overseas," the ISD said.

The ISD stated that while their cases are not related, their radicalisation was either triggered or accelerated by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. 

Muhammad Indra Aqmal and Nurisham planned to fight for Hamas and its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, while Mohamad Latiff planned to fight alongside Iran’s military and Hezbollah against Israel, it said.

According to the ISD, Muhammad Indra Aqmal, a lift mechanic at the time of his arrest in October 2024, researched online for possible travel routes and identified an online foreign contact in preparation for his trip to Gaza.

Nurisham, a security guard, took steps to prepare himself for his plans to engage in armed violence, including researching online for ways to enter Gaza, it said.

Mohamad Latiff, a director of a digital marketing company based in Bangkok, Thailand, was arrested in October 2024 upon his return to Singapore.

The ISD said even before the latest Israel-Hamas conflict, he had begun preparations for his plans to engage in armed violence, including visiting a shooting range in Bangkok in 2022.

Mohamad Latiff did not have specific plans for attacks against Singapore but  he was willing to carry out attacks in Singapore if instructed, it said.

“All three individuals acted alone, and there was no indication that they had radicalised or recruited others in Singapore. Their family members were unaware of their plans to partake in armed violence,” ISD added.

The ISD noted that since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, it has dealt with at least five Singaporeans under the ISA, whose radicalisation was either triggered or accelerated by the conflict.

-- BERNAMA