Call for more checks on staff working in sensitive areas

The repatriation of a Malaysian who was being radicalised even before he moved to Singapore and was offered a job as a driver with access to Changi Airfreight Centre - a restricted area - has prompted national security experts to call for more regular background checks on such personnel.

In 2008, Malaysian Muhammad Nur Hanief Abdul Jalil started perusing online extremist materials, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said yesterday. Three years later, he began working in Singapore, and in 2015, he was hired as a driver for an airfreight company, the ministry said in response to queries.

On whether security checks were conducted on Hanief when he was hired, MHA said security screening measures are taken before a person can work in restricted places.

"However, such measures are not foolproof, and Hanief's case illustrates the security challenge posed by 'cleanskins'."

This refers to people with no criminal records and who are not under the scrutiny of security agencies.

"As they have no criminal antecedents and are not traced with security agencies, their radicalisation may not be detected during security screening," said MHA. "This is why it is important for the public to come forward if they know of anyone whom they suspect to be radicalised or involved in terrorism-related activities."

Analysts and national security experts say more regular checks are needed on staff working in sensitive areas such as land and marine checkpoints, as well as aviation nodes.

In Hanief's case, he appeared to be "on his way to radicalisation" before he took on various jobs in Singapore from 2011, noted S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) senior analyst Jasminder Singh."If we do not want to have a repeat of such cases, the onus is on companies, especially those with access to restricted areas, to step up their background checks," he said.

He added that in conducting random checks, companies should work closely with the authorities granting access to restricted areas.

Hanief's case also highlights the need to strengthen counter-radicalisation programmes among the foreign workforce, said RSIS Assistant Professor Mohamed Ali, who is also vice-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group.

Such programmes should educate workers about the channels for obtaining sound religious guidance and ensure that workers do not feel isolated from society, he added.

Hanief's case also signals that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) propaganda machine remains active, said Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, who is coordinator of the national security studies programme at RSIS.

Defeats ISIS suffered in Raqqa in Syria and Marawi in the Philippines have only served to fuel an increase in its social media propaganda, in a bid to regain influence and recruit more people, he said.

Adding that the threat of self-radicalisation through exposure to extremist ideas online remains alive, he said: "ISIS will put in more effort to try and dominate the social media space, and you will see a proportionate increase in activity online."