Singapore keen to recruit ex-Tamil Tiger rebel soldiers as construction workers

Colombo Gazette, 5 Jun 2014
Singapore has expressed interest to recruit some 40 rehabilitated LTTE cadres, the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation said.
The National Action Plan on the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation quoted the Bureau as saying that there are 132 former members of the LTTE currently undergoing rehabilitation.
The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Jagath Wijetilleke said that nearly 12,000 former LTTE cadres either surrendered or were taken into custody following the end of the war in 2009. Full story

Related:

1. European Union (EU) joins US in branding Tamil Tigers as 'terrorists' - BBC News
2. Tamils around the world being coerced and intimidated to donate money to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers rebel - BBC News

Singapore man convicted in US for arms deal linked to Sri Lankan terrorist group has been deported to Singapore

The Washington Post
A man from Singapore who spent years in a U.S. prison after trying to funnel arms to a Sri Lankan terrorist group has been deported.
Prosecutors in Dallas on Thursday announced the deportation of 51-year-old Balraj Naidu.
Naidu in 2010 was convicted in Baltimore of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Prosecutors say Naidu tried to buy $900,000 in weapons from an undercover business in Maryland. Full story

Mas Selamat's Son Deported To Singapore From Indonesia

Bernama.com, 5 Nov 2013
SINGAPORE, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Singaporean Masyhadi Mas Selamat (Masyhadi) was deported to the republic on Oct 30, from Indonesia where he was detained, said the ministry of home affairs.
In a statement, it said Masyhadi, 24, went to Indonesia with his family in 2002 to join his father, Singapore Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari (Mas Selamat) who had fled Singapore, following the commencement of investigations into the Singapore JI terrorist network in December 2001. Full story

Singapore government unhappy over U.S. country reports on terrorism that cast wealthy city-state in negative light

Xinhua, 17 Jul 2013
SINGAPORE, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Singapore is "surprised and disappointed" over the latest U.S. Country Reports on Terrorism 2012, which cast the city-state in a negative light, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The U.S. report said in 2012, Singapore's bilateral and multilateral engagement on counterterrorism intelligence and law enforcement cooperation was "inconsistent" and "marked by a transactional mindset that impeded the development of broad, deep, and predictable agency-to-agency relationships."   Full story

Related:
Singapore Disappointed Over US Report On Terrorism - Bernama

Three dead, over 100 hurt in Boston Marathon blasts

Yahoo! News Singapore, 16 Apr 2013
Two explosions struck one of America's top sporting events Monday, killing at least three and wounding more than 100 as the Boston Marathon erupted in a maelstrom of blood, screams, smoke and panic.
As cities from New York to Los Angeles went on high alert, Americans with ever-vivid memories of the September 11, 2001 suicide airliner attacks automatically wondered if the country had been hit again by terrorists.
President Barack Obama went on national television to say it was not yet clear who was behind the blasts. He said the perpetrators would pay. He did not utter the word "terror." Full story

Related:
No reports of S'porean casualties at Boston Marathon: MFA - Yahoo! News Singapore

Terror email from Singapore puts Jharkhand on alert

MSN India, 10 Dec 2012
An alert was sounded in Jharkhand after a terror email threatened to carry out blasts in Ranchi and other places in the state, police said Monday.
"A terror email was sent by Danish Aalam to Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Delhi, some news channels and print media houses. The mail threatened that they had planted bombs in Ranchi and the bombs' remote control was in their hands. The bombs will be blasted," a police official told IANS.
The email, which originated in Singapore, was sent from a fake email ID. Full story

Two men detained under ISA for terrorism-related activities

inSing.com, 11 Oct 2012
Two men were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for their involvement in terrorism-related activities.
Abd Rahim Abdul Rahman were given Orders of Detention under ISA in March 2012, and Husaini Ismail in June 2012.
A statement on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ website said that Abd Rahim and Husaini were senior members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist organisation. Full story

Related:
Two persons detained in S'pore for terrorism activities - Yahoo! News Singapore
Two senior JI members detained under ISA in Singapore - The Malaysian Insider
Singapore Detains Jemaah Islamiyah Members - CRIEnglish.com

Plot to assassinate Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak foiled in Singapore, Hezbollah-Iranian suspects arrested - report

The Jerusalem Post, 16 Feb 2012
A plot to assassinate Defense Minister Ehud Barak was foiled by Singaporean authorities in cooperation with the Mossad, during his visit to the island country earlier this week, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper report.
The report in Al Jarida, claimed that three members of a Hezbollah-Iranian terror cell were arrested by Singapore’s security agencies.
The information on the plot was obtained by the Mossad which passed it on to Singapore prior to Barak’s visit there earlier this week. The Israeli defense minister was in Singapore to attend the annual Air Show and for talks with local officials. Full story

Related:
Report: Attempt on Barak's life foiled in Singapore - Ynetnews.com
Plot to assassinate Israeli DM foiled, Hezbollah-Iranian suspects arrested - Ya Libnan
Police deny reports of plot to kill Barak in Singapore - Dailystar.com.lb
Israel denies reports of thwarted attack on Ehud Barak in Singapore - The Guardian
Israel denies Barak targeted by Iran - Nation.com.pk
Police deny reports of plot to kill Barak in Singapore - Yahoo! News

Israel says Thai bombing linked to Iran

Charlston Daily News,14 Feb 2012
BANGKOK — A wounded Iranian fleeing an unintended explosion at a house threw a grenade at Bangkok police that instead blew off one of his legs in a series of blasts Tuesday that Israel's defense minister called an "attempted terrorist attack" by Iran. The violence came a day after Israel blamed Tehran for targeting its diplomats with bombs in India and Georgia.
Four other people were injured in the Bangkok explosions, which tore the roof off a house where the wounded man lived with two other compatriots. A second Iranian was arrested at Bangkok's international airport as he was trying to leave Thailand for Malaysia and a third was being sought, police said. Full story

Related:
Israel to "settle the score" for Bangkok attack - CBS News

Singaporean terrorist killed in Philippines

eTaiwan News, 2 Feb 2012
The Philippine military said it killed three most-wanted leaders of the al-Qaida-linked terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah at dawn Thursday in one of the most significant successes against militants on their southern island stronghold.
Those killed included Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, a Filipino, Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Singaporean Abdullah Ali, who uses the guerrilla name Muawiyah, said military spokesman Col. Marcelo Burgos. Full story

Related:
Philippines says kills 15 al Qaeda-linked militants - Yahoo! News Singapore

Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyaf now merged, says anti-terror expert

Inquirer.net, 28 Sep 2011
The Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror network and the local Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the Sulu Archipelago are already so integrated they operate almost as one organization, according to an international counterterrorism expert.
The link between the JI and the ASG is “almost complete,” said Professor Rohan Gunarathna, head of the management staff of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore.
“They co-exist, they work together, their leaders operate together as one organization. The integration of these two structures is almost complete,” said Gunarathna, one of the resource speakers at the two-day intelligence exchange among military analysts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) which concluded Wednesday. Full story

Related:
Terror threat persists, analyst warns - Manila Standard Today

Singapore says three held for links to militant groups

Reuters India, 12 Sep 2011
(Reuters) - Singapore has detained three men suspected of involvement in "terrorism-related activities", the government said on Monday, a day after the United States marked the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The three were detained between January and July under the city-state's Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial. Full story

Related:
Singapore says three held for links to militant groups - The Malaysian Insider
Singapore Authorities Detain Three People Under ISA - Bernama.com

Analysis: SMRT Security Breach’s Strategic Implications In Post 9/11 Era – Kumar Ramakrishna

Eurasiareview.com, 8 Sep 2011
IN AUGUST 2011 a northbound SMRT train was found to be spray-painted with graffiti and pulled out of service. Investigations showed that the train had likely been vandalised while parked at the Bishan Depot, where a breach was found in the perimeter fencing. The Land Transport Authority expressed concern as it was not the first time such an incident had occurred. In May 2010, two vandals had cut through the perimeter fencing at SMRT’s Changi Depot and spray-painted graffiti on the side of a train as well.
The second SMRT depot breach is a genuine cause for concern. Beyond the public nuisance that vandalism poses it raises a threat from the Homeland Security angle as well. The same logic used in the Changi Depot breach can be applied: if relatively unsophisticated thrill-seeking vandals can gain unauthorised access to SMRT trains, it is inevitable that trained and determined terrorists with more sinister aims could do so as well. Full story

Singapore attractive for terror finance - US Cable

Interaksyon.com, 2 Sep 2011
SINGAPORE - Singapore's strict bank secrecy laws and status as a regional financial hub make it an "attractive destination" for terror groups to launder money, a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks said.
The 2005 cable from the US mission in the city-state classified as "Confidential" assessed Singapore as having a "medium" risk of being used by terror groups to launder funds.
"Singapore's position as a significant financial and investment center, coupled with bank secrecy laws and the lack of routine currency reporting requirements, make it an attractive destination for terrorist organizations," the cable said.
The cable, published on the WikiLeaks website and seen on Friday, was signed off by then US ambassador Frank Lavin. Full story

Related:
Singapore 'attractive' to terror finance: US cable - Yahoo! Singapore Finance

Singapore Issues Travel Warning To Indonesia

The Diplomat, 26 Jul 2011
Singapore has gone on the front foot and issued a travel warning over parts of Indonesia, serving notice that terrorism threats by Islamic militants haven’t been totally vanquished in the region.
The warning followed the arrests of 11 suspected militants who had apparently planned to inflict widespread damage on targets that included the Singaporean embassy in Jakarta. Full story

Singapore embassy in Indonesia 'targeted by terrorists'

MENAFN.com, 21 Jul 2011
Indonesian anti-terrorism officials have said that recently arrested suspects wanted to attack the Singapore embassy in Jakarta, targeting Singaporeans leaving the compound.
The 11 suspects, thought to be members of a terror cell led by known radical Abu Umar alias Zulfikar, 41, were nabbed two weeks ago around Java.
Ammunition and weapons including pistols, rifles, silencers and at least one sub-machine gun were found with them. Full story

Related:
Terrorists threatened S’pore embassy in Jakarta - Yahoo! Singapore News

Malaysia arrests Indonesian terror suspect who helped Mas Selamat

AFP
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has re-arrested an Indonesian who slipped back into the country after being deported for harbouring one of Southeast Asia's most wanted terror suspects, police said Friday.
Agus Salim, from Indonesia's Sumatra island, was detained on Monday at the restaurant where he works in the southern city of Johor Baru for entering the country under a false name, a senior police official said.
He was suspected of helping hide Mas Selamat bin Kastari, the alleged head of the Singapore cell of regional terror outfit Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which has links with Al-Qaeda. Full story

Related:
Malaysia to deport Indonesian militant nabbed near Singapore border - Reuters India
Malaysia to deport Indonesian militant nabbed near Singapore border - Reuters India

Wife of ISA detainee Abdul Majid Kunji Mohamad cries foul over his arrest and extradition to Singapore

Free Malaysia Today, 23 May 2011
Abdul Majid’s wife, Suriati Othman, 34, said she was earlier told by the police not to highlight her husband’s arrest to the public. “They told me not to approach NGOs and journalists, saying whatever I do will affect my husband in detention,” claimed Suriati.
She criticised the police for slandering her husband in the mainstream media by calling him a militant.
“When they arrested him, they told me it was to assist in an investigation but the next day, the Inspector-General of Police (Ismail Omar) told the press that he was a militant.
“They also claimed that he was hiding in this country for four years. It is a lie as he has been here since 1996 and was even allowed to operate businesses here.
“My husband is not a militant and I want his name cleared,” Suriati said, adding that her relatives were avoiding her now believing the false news report. Full story

Malaysia hands suspected militant to Singapore on 19 May

MSN Philippines News, 20 May 2011
A senior official in the police special task force for operations and counter-terrorism, who did not want to be named, told AFP that Singaporean Abdul Majid Kunji Mohamad was handed over to the city-state late Thursday.
"We handed him over to the Singapore authorities and they can carry out further investigations as he is involved with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front," he said. Full story

Related:
Malaysia hands suspected militant to Singapore - New Straits Times

Malaysia arrests Singapore businessman on suspicion of helping fund Philippine militants

Washington Post, 9 May 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian police say they have arrested a Singaporean businessman suspected of channeling funds to southern Philippine militants.
National police Chief Ismail Omar says Abdul Majid Kunji Mohamad was arrested under a law that allows indefinite detention without trial of people regarded as security threats. Full story

Related:
Malaysia arrests Singapore businessman on suspicion of helping fund Philippine militants - mysask.com
Malaysia arrests Singapore businessman on suspicion of helping fund Philippine militants - The Canadian Press
Singaporean trader held under ISA - Malaysia Star
Majid’s detention under ISA not linked to Osama’s death: Hisham - Malaysia Star