(UTV|COLOMBO) – Two Singaporeans have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for intending to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated on Thursday (25).
Two suspects, including an individual who funded Zahran Hashim, the mastermind and one of the suicide bombers in the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, were detained without trial under the City-State’s tough security laws.
In a press release, the Ministry stressed that one of the suspects, 36-year-old licensed money changer Kuthubdeen Haja Najumudeen, has listened to Zahran’s online religious lectures and regularly contacted him for religious guidance since 2011.
Between May 2015 and October 2016, Haja made 3 trips to Sri Lanka to visit Zahran. He also donated funds to Zahran and his group, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ).
However, the report stated that investigations did not surface any indication that Haja was involved in, or had prior knowledge of, 21 April terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka.
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