Two radicalised Singaporeans, one of whom was based in Johor and helped finance the top Malaysian ISIS fighter in Syria, have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said yesterday that businessman Mohamed Kazali Salleh, 48, and his Singapore-based friend Hazim Syahmi Mahfoot, 28, a freelance car exporter, were issued detention orders last month.
The Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) also announced yesterday that they had arrested Kazali and five other individuals in operations in Johor, Selangor and Sabah in the past two months for involvement in militant groups.
News of the arrests came in the wake of ISIS' caliphate being dismantled, with several hundred mostly foreign fighters making their last stand to defend an area under 1 sq km near Syria's border with Iraq.
But the regional security authorities are concerned that the extremist ideology which fuelled the group remains active and will spread as fighters return and export their battles, including through social media.
In Kazali's case, he had funded and been in active contact with Syria-based ISIS militant Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin, also known as Akel Zainal, MHA said. Akel, who was a member of 1990s Malaysian rock band Ukays, had instructed two Malaysian ISIS supporters to attack places of worship and police stations in Malaysia early this year. The plots were foiled when the supporters were arrested last November.
In December, Akel instructed Kazali to attack a Freemasons centre in Johor Baru but Kazali did not follow through as he was afraid of being caught, MHA said.
The RMP, whose Special Branch cooperated closely with Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) in the investigation, said Kazali was arrested in Johor Baru on Dec 19. He was deported and handed over to ISD on Jan 7 after being interrogated in Malaysia.
Kazali moved to Malaysia with his family when he was a child, and had been working in Johor Baru over the past decade.
Giving an account of his involvement with terror, the ministry said Kazali first met Akel in 2009 and became strongly influenced by Akel's radical views and conspiracy theories. He was convinced by Akel's belief that Muslims are duty-bound to travel to Syria to fight. So, when Akel decided to go there in late 2013, Kazali gave him financial assistance for the trip.
"His material assistance to Akel continued when Akel was in Syria, and in turn, Akel had kept him updated on his exploits on the battlefield," MHA said. "Kazali believed that the help he gave to Akel would guarantee him a place in paradise should Akel achieve martyrdom in Syria."
As Kazali became increasingly radicalised, he saw ISIS fighters as "righteous" individuals defending Muslims. At Akel's urging, he took a bai'ah, or pledge of allegiance, to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, which was conveyed to Akel via social media, MHA said.
He also agreed to join Akel in Syria, but did not act as he was not ready to leave his life in Malaysia behind, the ministry added.
Instead, he took to sharing news of Akel's terrorism-related activities on social media to inspire others to travel to Syria, and was prepared to facilitate such travel.
As for Hazim, MHA said he met Kazali in May last year in Singapore. They had business dealings, quickly developed a friendship, and Hazim was influenced by Kazali's radical outlook.
"Hazim looked up to Kazali and was convinced by Kazali that he should undertake armed violence against the perceived enemies of his religion, specifically non-Muslims. Hazim believed that all Muslims are duty-bound to travel to conflict zones such as Palestine, Syria and Myanmar to fight non-Muslims there," the ministry said.
It said Hazim even took a pledge to remain loyal and obedient to Kazali, even if it involved carrying out attacks and killing others.
MHA added: "These cases highlight the dangers of radicalisation of Singaporeans overseas and the potential impact within Singapore. The threat of extremism is one which does not respect national borders."
