SINGAPORE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A 44-year-old Singaporean, who actively spread radical ideology online and helped radicalize at least two other citizens, has been detained under the Internal Security Act, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday.
Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff was arrested and detained in Singapore in July for terrorism-related activities, according to MHA's statement.
The ministry said Zulfikar made numerous Facebook posts that promoted and glorified terror group Islamic State and its violent actions such as beheadings, "while exploiting religion to legitimize the terrorist activities of IS."
Zulfikar's postings contributed to the radicalization of at least two other Singaporeans. One of them was Muhammad Shamin bin Mohamed Sidik, who was detained under the ISA for terrorism-related activities. The other was Mohamed Saiddhin bin Abdullah, who was inspired by Zulfikar's radical postings.
MHA added that Zulfikar also planned to hold training programs to persuade young Singaporeans to join his extremist agenda of replacing Singapore's secular, democratic system with an Islamic state, by violence if necessary.
Zulfikar had embarked on the path of radicalism as early as 2001 after reading jihadi-related material, said MHA. He was supportive of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Jemaah Islamiyah, and advocated Muslims taking up arms in Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 in the United States. Zulfikar resettled his family in Australia in 2002. While in Australia, he continued to pursue radical ideology.
MHA noted that Zulfikar's promotion of violence and IS and his radicalizing influence pose a security threat to Singapore, adding government of the city state takes a very serious view of efforts to undermine Singapore's constitutional democracy, and will take firm and decisive action against any person who engages in such activities.
Zulfikar has been served with an Order of Detention (OD) for a period of two years.
