Singapore student, 17, held under ISA for supporting Islamic State

The Singapore government said the student believed in the cause of the Islamic State extremist group. (Reuters pic)

SINGAPORE: A 17-year-old male school student has been detained under the Internal Security Act for supporting the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to the republic’s home ministry.

He was detained last month, the ministry said, after being first investigated in September 2017 when he was only 15, for posting defaced images of President Halimah Yacob on social media. He had also called on Islamic State to behead her for supporting Singapore, which he viewed as an “infidel” state.

“He had been radicalised by a foreign online contact who introduced him to pro-ISIS social media groups in 2017,” the ministry said on its website.

Through these groups, he gained access to what he believed was exclusive ISIS content.

“In his eyes, ISIS was a powerful group that was fighting for Islam and its use of violence against its opponents was therefore justified,” it said.

The ministry said despite its efforts since 2017 to steer him away from the radical path, he remained a staunch supporter of ISIS.

“He was willing to assist ISIS in its online propaganda efforts, and undertake other activities if called upon by ISIS to do so. Even with the demise of ISIS’s so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, he still believed in the terrorist group and its violent cause,” it said.

However, there were no signs that he had spread his pro-ISIS views to others around him, the ministry said. -FMT