An Australian man was denied entry into Singapore ahead of the Trump-Kim summit.

Zaky Mallah, 34, was questioned for five hours and held in a holding cell in Changi Airport when he arrived from Sydney on Wednesday, June 6.

He was placed on the next available flight back to Australia on Thursday morning, June 7.

MHA responds

Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Thursday, June 7, that Zaky was denied entry into Singapore on account of his "terrorism-related" history.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the spokesperson for MHA said:

"Zaky was the first person to be charged in 2003 under new terrorism laws in Australia for allegedly planning a suicide attack on the offices of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

He was later acquitted of two charges of preparing a terrorist act in 2005, but received a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to threatening violence against Commonwealth (Australian government) officials."

Zaky charged under anti-terror laws previously

According to Reuters, Zaky was the first person to be charged under new anti-terror laws in Australia.

He was accused of planning a suicide attack on the offices of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the department of foreign affairs.

He was subsequently acquitted on the terror charges in 2005, pleading guilty instead to threatening violence against Commonwealth officials.

While he received a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence, he was later released on a two-year good behaviour bond.

Zaky has a reputation for courting media attention. This occurred after an infamous appearance on live television in 2015.

In an interview with Seven News which first broke the original story, he said: "I did the crime, I served the time, and life moves on".

He also admitted his Singapore trip was poorly timed, saying that he believed he was seen by authorities as a security threat for the summit.

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Security stepped up ahead of Trump-Kim Summit

The Singapore Police has stepped up security around Trump-Kim summit venues ahead of the June 12 meeting, as well as the "areas of high human traffic".

Director of operations Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) How Kwang Hwee said:

“The summit between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is of great international significance. Police and security agencies in Singapore are committed to ensuring security."

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