Self-radicalised Malaysian caught and repatriated

He planned to join Mid-East armed conflict, had access to airfreight centre here: MHA

A self-radicalised Malaysian man with access to Changi Airfreight Centre has been detained and repatriated to Malaysia, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said yesterday.

Muhammad Nur Hanief Abdul Jalil, 33, who worked as a driver with a local airfreight company, had planned to travel to the Middle East to participate in armed conflict, MHA added.

Due to his job, he had access to Changi Airfreight Centre, which is a restricted area and provides airfreight services to Changi Airport.

Hanief was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last month, after he was found to have been radicalised by the online teachings of extremist Islamic preachers. He was repatriated to Malaysia - with his work pass cancelled - this month.

He has since been detained in Malaysia under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, The Straits Times understands.

"Online content, radical content is always a challenge," Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said on the sidelines of a closed-door event yesterday. "We have got to be realistic about the extent to which we can deal with it."

Declaring it "a fight for hearts and minds", he said there is a need to point out what is wrong with radical teachings and highlight what is needed for Singapore to survive as a multiracial and multi-religious country.

The real antidote is to get people, particularly young people, to "go to our mosques, and also look at the content that Muis (the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) and our Muslim leaders put out".

Citing the case of an infant-care assistant with access to young children who was nabbed for radicalisation last June, he said: "We have been aware of these risks in different sectors for some time."

"Every case of radicalisation is serious... We have taken and will continue to take steps that are doable, that are within our power," he added.

Hanief started working here in 2011, and became a driver of an airfreight company in 2015.

Late last year, he decided to act on his plans to participate in the conflict in Syria or Palestine after he suffered setbacks in his work and personal life, MHA said.

"He was prepared to join any militant group there, including the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Free Syrian Army or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham."

He also contacted Malaysian preacher Haslin Baharim to seek advice on whether he would become a martyr if he was killed in a Syrian conflict zone.

Mr Haslin said it was God's will if one should die as a martyr, which Hanief interpreted as an affirmative reply, MHA said. It added that his radicalisation renders him a security threat to Singapore, even though there were no signs that he tried to radicalise others or planned any attack here.

Hanief's radicalisation involved perusing extremist online material since 2008 - including the teachings of foreign extremist preachers Imran Hosein, Zakir Naik and Anjem Choudary, said MHA.

He was also influenced by Mr Haslin and another preacher, Mr Ismail Menk, who promote segregationist and divisive ideas, it added.

Mr Menk and Mr Haslin were among foreign preachers recently prevented from entering Singapore due to their divisive teachings. They were scheduled to preach to international passengers on a five-day spiritual cruise from Singapore to Aceh last November.

Mr Menk has taught that it is blasphemous and "the biggest sin" for Muslims to wish non-Muslims "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Deepavali", while Mr Haslin has advocated that in multi-cultural and multi-religious societies, non-Muslims should be made subservient to Muslims, MHA said last year.

Choudary was jailed in 2016 in the United Kingdom for garnering support for ISIS. Naik, who is from India, was charged last year by the Indian authorities with inciting terror and delivering hate speeches.

Yesterday, MHA also announced that the restriction orders under ISA issued against four individuals have been allowed to lapse.

The four are: Self-radicalised individuals Muhammad Zamri Abdullah, 36; Zakaria Rosdan, 27; and Muhammad Khairul Sofri Osman, 33, as well as Jemaah Islamiah member Mohd Azmi Ali, 49.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 10, 2018, with the headline Self-radicalised Malaysian caught and repatriated. Subscribe