SINGAPORE: A former teacher with the Ministry of Education (MOE) who was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for terrorism offences has been released from detention.
Mohamed Khairul Riduan Mohamed Sarip, 40, was released on a restriction order in November 2024, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Thursday (Jan 9).
He was self-radicalised and arrested in October 2022 under the ISA as he had planned to travel to Gaza to join Hamas and its military wing Al-Qassam Brigades (AQB) to fight the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
ISD said on Thursday that Khairul has "shown good progress in his rehabilitation and was assessed to no longer pose a security threat requiring preventive detention".
The agency also announced that the restriction orders against three other Singaporeans have been allowed to lapse upon expiry due to good progress in their rehabilitation.
A person issued with a restriction order must abide by several conditions. For example, they cannot access the internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings or be a member of any organisation, association or group without approval from the director of ISD.
They also cannot print, distribute or contribute to any publication.
A person on a restriction order is not permitted to change their residence or employment, and cannot leave Singapore without the ISD director’s approval.
Khairul was the first public servant in Singapore to be arrested under the ISA for terrorism offences. He had developed an interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and had made plans to travel to the Palestinian territories to carry out armed violence.
His interest in the conflict began in 2007 after watching Facebook videos on “purported Israeli acts of aggression against Palestinians”.
He grew further convinced of the need to engage in the armed defence of Palestinians after watching videos by radical foreign preachers, said ISD.
Khairul first considered travelling to Gaza in 2012 after coming across a poster on Facebook indicating that Hamas and AQB were waiting for volunteers.
While he did not go through with his intent in 2012, he felt compelled to do so again in 2014 and 2021 when the conflict escalated. He did not do so in those two years due to travel restrictions.
However, he continued to harbour hopes of travelling to Gaza.
"He was willing to abide by any instructions given by Hamas, including armed combat, kidnapping, and even executing prisoners of war," said ISD, adding that Khairul contemplated being a spokesperson and international recruiter for the group.
He was arrested under ISA in October 2022 and issued a detention order the following month.
The three Singaporeans whose restriction orders were allowed to lapse are Mohamed Hussain Saynudin, Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader and Murad Mohamed Said.
Hussain, 51, was a former member of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network and had undergone terrorist training with the Lashker-e-Tayyiba militant group in Pakistan.
He had left Singapore before a security operation against the JI network in December 2001 and stayed overseas to avoid the authorities. He was arrested and detained under ISA in February 2007.
Hussain was released on a restriction order in February 2013 and it was allowed to lapse in November last year, said ISD on Thursday.
Abdul Basheer was a self-radicalised individual who was first detained in 2007.
According to a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) press release in 2007, he had made specific plans to pursue militant jihad in Afghanistan.
These plans escalated as he became more deeply influenced by the extremist propaganda he read online.
At the time of his arrest, he had purchased an air ticket to Pakistan where he intended to train under Lashker-e-Tayyiba before crossing into Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban.
Abdul Basheer was first released in February 2010. He was detained again in October 2012 after revisiting his plans to engage in armed violence overseas.
In February 2016, he was released from detention and his restriction order was allowed to lapse in October 2024.
Murad, 52, was issued a restriction order in December 2018.
A former freelance religious teacher, he propagated beliefs “promoting violence and segregationist views detrimental to the cohesion of Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-religious society”, said ISD.
He taught that it was compulsory to kill apostates, defined broadly to include non-believers, Sufis, Shi’ites, and Muslims who have renounced Islam or disregarded texts and rulings from the Quran and Sunnah.
He also encouraged his students to withdraw from Singapore’s secular society, disregard secular laws and adhere to the rulings of Syariah law instead.
Murad’s accreditation under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme was cancelled by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore in May 2018. However, he had continued to promote these segregationist views online.
His restriction order was allowed to lapse in December last year.
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Mohamed Khairul Riduan Mohamed Sarip, 40, was released on a restriction order in November 2024, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Thursday (Jan 9).
He was self-radicalised and arrested in October 2022 under the ISA as he had planned to travel to Gaza to join Hamas and its military wing Al-Qassam Brigades (AQB) to fight the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
ISD said on Thursday that Khairul has "shown good progress in his rehabilitation and was assessed to no longer pose a security threat requiring preventive detention".
The agency also announced that the restriction orders against three other Singaporeans have been allowed to lapse upon expiry due to good progress in their rehabilitation.
A person issued with a restriction order must abide by several conditions. For example, they cannot access the internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings or be a member of any organisation, association or group without approval from the director of ISD.
They also cannot print, distribute or contribute to any publication.
A person on a restriction order is not permitted to change their residence or employment, and cannot leave Singapore without the ISD director’s approval.
Related:
RELEASED FROM DETENTION
Khairul was the first public servant in Singapore to be arrested under the ISA for terrorism offences. He had developed an interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and had made plans to travel to the Palestinian territories to carry out armed violence.
His interest in the conflict began in 2007 after watching Facebook videos on “purported Israeli acts of aggression against Palestinians”.
He grew further convinced of the need to engage in the armed defence of Palestinians after watching videos by radical foreign preachers, said ISD.
Khairul first considered travelling to Gaza in 2012 after coming across a poster on Facebook indicating that Hamas and AQB were waiting for volunteers.
While he did not go through with his intent in 2012, he felt compelled to do so again in 2014 and 2021 when the conflict escalated. He did not do so in those two years due to travel restrictions.
However, he continued to harbour hopes of travelling to Gaza.
"He was willing to abide by any instructions given by Hamas, including armed combat, kidnapping, and even executing prisoners of war," said ISD, adding that Khairul contemplated being a spokesperson and international recruiter for the group.
He was arrested under ISA in October 2022 and issued a detention order the following month.
Related:
LAPSE OF RESTRICTION ORDERS
The three Singaporeans whose restriction orders were allowed to lapse are Mohamed Hussain Saynudin, Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader and Murad Mohamed Said.
Hussain, 51, was a former member of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network and had undergone terrorist training with the Lashker-e-Tayyiba militant group in Pakistan.
He had left Singapore before a security operation against the JI network in December 2001 and stayed overseas to avoid the authorities. He was arrested and detained under ISA in February 2007.
Hussain was released on a restriction order in February 2013 and it was allowed to lapse in November last year, said ISD on Thursday.
Abdul Basheer was a self-radicalised individual who was first detained in 2007.
According to a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) press release in 2007, he had made specific plans to pursue militant jihad in Afghanistan.
These plans escalated as he became more deeply influenced by the extremist propaganda he read online.
At the time of his arrest, he had purchased an air ticket to Pakistan where he intended to train under Lashker-e-Tayyiba before crossing into Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban.
Abdul Basheer was first released in February 2010. He was detained again in October 2012 after revisiting his plans to engage in armed violence overseas.
In February 2016, he was released from detention and his restriction order was allowed to lapse in October 2024.
Murad, 52, was issued a restriction order in December 2018.
A former freelance religious teacher, he propagated beliefs “promoting violence and segregationist views detrimental to the cohesion of Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-religious society”, said ISD.
He taught that it was compulsory to kill apostates, defined broadly to include non-believers, Sufis, Shi’ites, and Muslims who have renounced Islam or disregarded texts and rulings from the Quran and Sunnah.
He also encouraged his students to withdraw from Singapore’s secular society, disregard secular laws and adhere to the rulings of Syariah law instead.
Murad’s accreditation under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme was cancelled by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore in May 2018. However, he had continued to promote these segregationist views online.
His restriction order was allowed to lapse in December last year.
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