Within months of seeing pro-Hamas content online, a 14-year-old boy in Singapore became convinced that the terrorist group's violent acts, including the October 7 attack on Israel, were justified. The Muslim high school student decided to go to Afghanistan to enlist in the Black Flag Army, a force that Muhammad predicted would arise in the end times, and began recruiting his school friends. The boy wanted to promote the establishment of an Islamic state in the small Southeast Asian country at the tip of Malaysia and even considered attacking non-Muslims in Singapore.
Singapore's Home Affairs and Security Bureau issued a restriction order in June against an unnamed radicalized teenager, banning him from accessing the internet and traveling abroad. Last month, the Home Affairs and Security Bureau applied similar measures to Annadia Binte Annahalli, a 33-year-old radicalized civil servant who had joined social media groups supporting extremist Islamist groups and called for attacks on Israel and Singapore.
Authorities say the radicalisation of the two Singaporeans was “triggered” by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, raising concerns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is fuelling extremism in Singapore and across the Southeast Asian region, including Muslim-majority countries Malaysia and Indonesia.
The terrorism threat in Singapore has increased and “remains high” since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to the ISD's annual report released on July 25. While there are no indications of an imminent attack, the assessment noted online radicalization as a key driver of the threat.
In Southeast Asia, the Israel-Hamas war “provokes strong emotional responses, especially among Muslims who feel a deep connection to the Palestinian cause,” Noor Huda Ismail, a security analyst and visiting fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told The World. Emotional resonance can escalate into radicalization, Huda added, “individuals see the conflict as directly tied to their identity and faith, which makes them more likely to engage in extremist activities in retaliation for injustices against their group.”
He believes extremist groups are positioning the Israel-Hamas conflict as part of a global war on Islam and promoting a narrative of oppression that extremist recruiters are using to justify violence and radicalization.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Islamic State terrorist group pose a threat to Malaysia's security. “Because of our proximity, what happens in Malaysia will have an impact on our national security situation,” said Singapore's Minister of Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam.
Malaysian police in late June arrested eight people with suspected ties to the Islamic State after authorities said the suspects plotted to overthrow the government, targeted police and threatened Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
It was not clear whether the suspects were linked to Ladin Lukman Ladin Imran, 21, who attacked a police station with a machete in the Malaysian city of Ulu Tiram on May 17, killing two police officers and wounding another before being shot dead by police.
Although Laden Lukman carried out the attack alone, authorities have charged his close relatives with terrorism-related offences. His father is accused of indoctrinating his family with ISIS ideology and encouraging terrorist acts, his brother is accused of pledging allegiance to ISIS's former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and his mother and two sisters are accused of concealing information about terrorism-related crimes.
In Indonesia, the announcement by al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah that it was disbanding has raised questions about whether the group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people is truly no longer a threat. Sixteen Jemaah Islamiyah leaders announced the move in a video statement on June 30. They pledged to abide by Indonesian law and ensure that the curriculum at Jemaah Islamiyah boarding schools is in line with mainstream Sunni Islam rather than extremist.
Many analysts believe that JI members who disagree with the leadership's decision to disband may instead form splinter groups or join other existing terrorist organizations. At the same time, Sidney Jones, founder of the Indonesia-based Institute for Conflict Policy Analysis, and Solahuddin, a researcher on jihadist movements, say JI's long-standing shift in focus from jihadist violence to Islamic education and outreach, and the involvement of Indonesia's counterterrorism police, could indicate that JI has indeed decided to disband. They also see JI's decision to hand over its weapons stockpile as a further sign of disbandment.
In Singapore, authorities said they would put the 14-year-old high school student through a de-radicalisation process and he would receive support from psychologists and counselling from the Religious Rehabilitation Group, a volunteer organisation of Islamic scholars and teachers.
