Singapore arrests 2 over intention to join Daesh

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs says it has arrested two men under the Internal Security Act after discovering the two intended to enter Syria to join the Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

The ministry said in a statement issued on Friday that Rosli bin Hamzah, 50, and 33-year-old Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi, are being held under the security law, which allows for detention without trial.

The ministry stated that the radicalized Singaporean men have each been handed two-year detention sentences under the act.

The island city-state has been on the watch for suspected terrorists after police in neighboring Indonesia nabbed a group of Daesh affiliates whom they believed were plotting to carry out a terrorist attack in the wealthy country.

Singapore is a major financial hub in Southeast Asia under strong Western influence.

The former British colony, which has a multi-ethnic population, is viewed by authorities as a target location for recruiting radicalized extremists willing to take part in militant activities.

Over the past year, authorities have detained or repatriated dozens of people in the country for alleged links to militants, or “terrorism-related activities” such as fund-raising for militant groups like Daesh.

There have been no militant attacks in Singapore in decades.

Singapore deploys extensive surveillance apparatus in order to maintain security, which some critics say violates civil liberties.

The Internal Security Act has also been criticized by rights groups for allowing long-term detention of suspects without trial.