A 22-year-old female contract infantcare assistant was detained in June 2017, under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for radicalism.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) made the announcement in a press release on June 12. This is the first detention of a self-radicalised female individual by the authorities.

The individual, Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari (Izzah), who worked in PAP Community Foundation Sparkletots was intent on joining the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

She was actively planning to make her way to Syria, with her young child, to do so. She supported ISIS’s use of violence to establish and defend its self-declared “caliphate”, and aspired to live in it.

According to the press release, this is the timeline of her radicalisation:

2013

Radicalised by online propaganda related to ISIS and began to believe that ISIS represented the true spirit of Islam.

Her radicalisation deepened over time. This was exacerbated by a wide network of foreign online contacts which she developed. They included ISIS militants and supporters, some of whom have either been killed in Syria or arrested for terrorism-related activities.

Since 2014

Actively posted and shared pro-ISIS materials online. Several of her social media platforms were taken down by administrators because of the pro-ISIS content, but she created new ones.

Since 2015

She said she was looking for “a Salafi or an ISIS supporter” to marry and settle down with him and her child in Syria.

She said she would support her husband if he fought for ISIS in Syria as she believed she would reap “heavenly rewards” if he died in battle. With her “elevated status” as a “martyr’s widow”, she felt she could easily marry another ISIS fighter in Syria.

She also said that she was prepared to undergo military training and engage in armed combat to defend ISIS if called upon by the terrorist group to do so.

April 2017

She boasted to a contact that the Singapore authorities had not detected her.

Family members aware but did not alert authorities

Izzah's parents, both freelance Quranic teachers, and sister came to know of her radical postings in 2015 and her intention to join ISIS in Syria, but they did not alert the authorities.

Not only were they unsuccessful in dissuading her from the path of radicalisation, one family member even destroyed important evidence relating to her plans to join ISIS, in order to try to minimise her acts, after she was placed under investigation .

Call the ISD hotline to report known or suspected cases

MHA has once again appealed to the public, especially family members and friend of individuals, to help monitor signs of radicalisation, given that the time between radicalisation and committing violence can be very short in some cases.

The press release also said that a terror attack would drive a wedge between Muslims and non-Muslims, "which is precisely what the terrorist groups want."

Relatives and friends are best-placed to notice the possible signs of radicalisation.

These include avid consumption of radical materials; propagating and re-posting terrorism-related images, videos and posts; expressing support for terrorist entities; and encouraging others or stating an intention to commit terrorist violence. This list is not exhaustive.

Early reporting could enable the individual who is at risk of becoming radicalised to be given proper guidance and counselling. They could be steered away from the path of radicalisation and may not need to be severely dealt with under the law.

Anyone who knows or suspects that a person is radicalised should promptly call the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD).

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