Another local man has been nabbed for his blatant support of extremist militant group, the Islamic State (ISIS), with the explicit intention of spreading their radical ideology.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 33-year-old Asrul Alias was arrested under the Internal Security Act in August, and has since been issued a Restriction Order (RO) for two years. What the RO means for him is that his movements will be restricted — he can’t change his residence or employment, nor can he travel out of Singapore without official approval. Asrul is not allowed to issue public statements or join organisations without proper approval either.
The technician first learned about the Islamic State online when he perused materials on the conflict in Syria back in 2014. In the process, he encountered pro-ISIS materials and became self-radicalised through the terrorist group’s propaganda. He actively shared the pro-ISIS material on social media and supported their ideals by countering criticisms of ISIS online.
Even after warnings from a family member and a close friend to stop posting such content earlier this year, he remained supportive of the radical group and continued consuming ISIS-related materials online.
Now on RO, he’ll have to undergo religious counselling for rehabilitation.
