Singapore detains eight suspected Bangladeshi militants

In April 2016, the Internal Security Department detained eight radicalised male Bangladeshi nationals under the Internal Security Act (ISA), read a statement issued by the Singapore government. 

The eight men have been identified as  Rahman Mizanur (31), Mamun Leakot Ali (29), Sohag Ibrahim (27), Miah Rubel (26), Zzaman Daulat (34), Islam Shariful (27), Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar (30) and Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader (29).

Rahman Mizanur was an S-Pass holder while the other seven were Work Permit holders. They were all employed in the local construction and marine industries.

"They were members of a clandestine group set up by Rahman Mizanur in March 2016 in Singapore, which he called “Islamic State in Bangladesh” (ISB).  According to the ISB members, there are at least two more members in the group who are in Bangladesh.  The ISB members had intended to join the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as foreign fighters," read the statement. 

However, as they felt that it would be difficult for them to make their way to Syria, they focused their plans instead on returning to Bangladesh to overthrow the democratically-elected government through the use of force, establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh and bring it under ISIS’ self-declared caliphate.

Investigations showed that ISB had identified several possible attack targets in Bangladesh. 

A document titled “We Need for Jihad Fight” was recovered from Rahman Mizanur, which contained a list of Bangladeshi government and military officials who could be targeted for attack.

He also possessed documents on weapons and bomb making, as well as a significant amount of ISIS and Al-Qaeda radical material which he used to recruit ISB members in Singapore from January 2016.

The ISB members planned to recruit other Bangladeshi nationals working in Singapore to grow the group. The group had also raised monies to purchase firearms to carry out their planned terror attacks in Bangladesh.  The money has since been seized. 

ISB poses a security concern to Singapore because of its support for ISIS and its readiness to resort to the use of violence overseas. The detained ISB members are still under investigation for their activities in Singapore. 

"Rahman Mizanur has said he would carry out an attack anywhere if he was instructed by ISIS to do so, though there are no specific indications that Singapore had as yet been selected as a target.  Several of those detained may be liable for prosecution for terrorism financing," read the statement.   

As part of the investigations into ISB, another five Bangladeshi workers in Singapore were investigated under the ISA.  Investigations showed that they were not involved in ISB but nevertheless possessed and/or proliferated jihadi-related materials, or supported the use of armed violence in pursuit of a religious cause.  They have been repatriated to Bangladesh.

"{The Singapore Government takes a very serious view of any form of support for terrorism.  Any person, foreigner or otherwise, who engages in any activity that is inimical to Singapore’s national security and racial and religious harmony will be firmly dealt with under the law.  In this connection, foreigners should not import their own domestic political agenda into Singapore and carry out activities here in pursuit of such an agenda," the government said in the statement.