More Bangladeshi Jihadists Found in Singapore

Singapore police announced on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, that eight Bangladeshi men ages 26-34 were arrested for conspiring to commit acts of terror back in their native Bangladesh. Late last year nearly 30 suspected Bangladeshi jihadists were arrested and deported from Singapore on terrorism charges. Authorities are becoming more concerned that jihadist cells may be using Singapore as a base of operations.

The eight individuals worked in construction and marine industries and were detained under Singapore’s Internal Security Act (ISA). The detainees’ reportedly called themselves the Islamic State of Bangladesh (ISB) and were planning on becoming foreign terrorists fighters (FTF) for the Islamic State (IS) serving in Iraq and Syria. However, travel means became too difficult and the group rearranged their plans to overthrow the Bangladesh government and establish Islamic rule in accordance to the Islamic State.

The jihadists were actually captured this past April and the first foreign terrorist cell to be held in detention under ISA. Late last year  27 Bangladeshis were arrested on terrorism charges and found to have jihadist-related materials in their possession and arrested and deported under ISA. Singapore authorities note that this new group had already prepared a list of potential targets in Bangladesh.

The group’s ringleader Rahman Mizanur, a 31-year old construction worker, held an S-Pass which allows mid-level skilled laborers to work in Singapore. Mizanur said he set up ISB in March 2016 and he recruited the seven other members. While under investigation by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Mizanur told them, “He would carry out any attack any where If IS instructed him to do so.”

Singapore just revised its counter-terrorism plan this past March after warnings of potential terrorist attacks. The country’s location to Indonesia and Malaysia makes it both a potential recruitment center and target for attacks in Southeast Asia.

According to MHA a the document called, “We Need For Jihad Fight” was recovered from Mizanur and listed Bangladeshi  government officials,  military personnel, media personalities, and non-believers as potential targets for the ISB. Documents on using weapons and bomb making along with numerous al-Qaeda and IS materials were recovered.

Bangladesh is rapidly becoming a hotbed of jihadist activity and IS support and has seen an increase of attacks on minorities and especially secularist bloggers.

Singapore raids on ISB found an additional five Bangladeshi workers who were detained and questioned under ISA, but found not to be members of the ISB. However, they “possessed and/or proliferated jihadi related materials, or supported the use of armed violence in a religious cause.” All five were repatriated back to Bangladesh.

Singapore authorities stated they take the view of anyone supporting terrorism or promoting jihadist materials should be reported to the Internal Security Department (ISD) or the police.

Singapore has now detained 40 suspected jihadists from Bangladesh operating out of their country within the past six months. While so far suspects have been principally focused on returning to Bangladesh to wage jihad, Singapore should assume that those operating in the city-state would absolutely act locally if ordered to do so by Islamic State leadership.