4 Singaporeans caught, dealt with under Internal Security Act for radical actions

If you’ve engaged in overseas armed conflict — or even if you haven’t acted upon your intention to do so — prepared to be dealt with by the Internal Security Act. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, that’s what happened to four radicalised Singaporeans in separate cases. 

For Mohammad Razif Yahya, 27, and Amiruddin Sawir, 53, they were detained in August 2015 for voluntarily taking up arms and being a part of the sectarian conflict in Yemen. 

As reported by Channel NewsAsia, both men took religious studies at a Yemen institution — Razif in January 2010 and Amiruddin in July 2013 — and signed up for armed sentry duties at the establishment against any invasion by the Houthis. Their weapons were subsequently fired when they got involved in fighting the Houthis. 

“Razif and Amiruddin were prepared to kill and be killed as ‘martyrs’ in the sectarian conflict in Yemen. By taking up arms in Yemen, they have demonstrated a readiness to use violence to pursue their religious cause,” MHA said. “As such, they are assessed to pose a security threat to Singapore.”

But for 25-year-old Mohamed Mohideen Mohamed Jais, who also did religious studies and armed sentry duties in Yemen from 2009 to 2011, there was never an incident where he had to use his weapon. To that end, he has been put on a Restriction Order under the ISA starting from this month. 

Things ended a little differently for the last Singaporean, Wang Yuandongyi. A naturalised citizen who came from the People’s Republic of China, Wang did not identify himself as Muslim.

The 23-year-old left in January, intending to head for Syria via Turkey to join a Kurdish militia group to fight against the Islamic State, but got turned around when someone reported his plans. He has been arrested under the ISA and placed on a RO with effect from this month.

Since 2002, 72 people have been detained under the ISA for terrrorism-related actions, and 80 percent of them have been released. 



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on