MHA Statement on Issuance of Restriction Order, Release on Suspension Direction and Cancellation of Orders of Detention

Restriction Order Issued against Asrul bin Alias

Asrul bin Alias (Asrul; Singaporean; aged 33) was arrested in Aug 2016 under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for investigation into his involvement in terrorism-related activities and was subsequently issued with a Restriction Order [1] (RO) for a period of two years the same month.

2             Asrul, a technician, is a supporter of the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  Starting in 2014, he perused online materials on the conflict in Syria and, in the process, encountered pro-ISIS materials and subsequently became influenced by the terrorist group's propaganda.  He had actively looked up pro-ISIS materials and shared them on social media with the intention of spreading the ISIS radical ideology.  In his support for ISIS, he also countered criticisms of ISIS which he came across online.

3             In late 2015/early 2016, Asrul heeded the warnings of a family member and a close friend to stop posting pro-ISIS and pro-militant materials.  However, he remained supportive of ISIS and continued to consume ISIS-related materials online.  He will undergo religious counselling while on RO.

Release on Suspension Direction

4        Mohammad Razif bin Yahya (Razif; Singaporean; aged 28) was issued with a Suspension Direction (SD) and released from detention in Oct 2016. [2] He was detained in Aug 2015 for voluntarily taking up arms in the armed sectarian conflict in Yemen.  Razif's Order of Detention (OD) was suspended in Oct 2016 after it was assessed that he no longer posed a security threat that required him to be placed in preventive detention.

Cancellation of Orders of Detention of Eight Bangladeshi Nationals

5             In Apr 2016, eight radicalised Bangladeshi nationals [3] were detained for their involvement in a clandestine group called the "Islamic State in Bangladesh" (ISB).  The ISB members had intended to join the terrorist group ISIS as foreign fighters and, if they were not able to travel to Syria, they intended to return to Bangladesh to overthrow the democratically-elected government through armed violence and establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh as part of ISIS' self-declared "caliphate".

6             Six of the ISB members had contributed funds towards the purchase of firearms for the group's terror plans in Bangladesh.  They were convicted of terrorism financing under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (TSOFA), and were sentenced to between two and five years' imprisonment.  As such, their ODs under the ISA have been cancelled.

7             Investigations into the remaining two of the eight ISB members, Sohag Ibrahim and Islam Shariful, have been completed.  Their ODs were cancelled and they were repatriated to Bangladesh in Sep 2016.

[1] A person issued with a Restriction Order (RO) must abide by several conditions and restrictions.  For example, he is not permitted to change his residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore, without the prior approval of the Director ISD.  The individual issued with RO also cannot issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute, contribute to any publication, hold office in, or be a member of any organisation, association or group without the prior approval of Director ISD.

[2] A Suspension Direction (SD) is a Ministerial direction to suspend the operation of an existing Order of Detention (OD).  The Minister for Home Affairs may revoke the SD and the individual will be re-detained, if he does not comply with any of the conditions stipulated in the SD.  Among the conditions are that he is prohibited from associating with any militant or terrorist groups or individuals, and he is not allowed to leave the country without the prior written approval of the Director, ISD.

[3] The eight Bangladeshi nationals were: Rahman Mizanur (aged 31), Mamun Leakot Ali (aged 30), Miah Rubel (aged 26), Zzaman Daulat (aged 34), Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar (aged 31), Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader (aged 30), Sohag Ibrahim (aged 28) and Islam Shariful (aged 27).