Boy, 14, who was radicalised due to Israel-Hamas conflict is youngest to be dealt with under ISA

A 33-year-old woman, who was a former public servant, was also issued a restriction order under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters in Singapore. (File photo: TODAY)

SINGAPORE: A 14-year-old Singaporean boy was issued a restriction order under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in June after he was self-radicalised due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Monday (Jul 15).

The boy is the youngest person to be issued an ISA order. He aspired to fight for the Black Flag Army (BFA) and considered carrying out attacks in Singapore.

A 33-year-old Singaporean woman, who is a former manager with a statutory board, was also issued an ISA restriction order in July.

An’nadya binte An’nahari "staunchly supported" the Axis of Resistance – a network of militant and terrorist organisations including Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades (AQB), Hezbollah and the Houthis – and advocated violence against Israelis and Jews, said ISD.

She was an employee with the statutory board at the point of the investigation and is no longer employed there. An’nadya is the second public servant to be issued with an ISA order. 

A person issued with a restriction order must abide by several conditions. For example, they are not allowed to change their residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore without the approval of the Director ISD.

They also cannot use the internet or social media, issue public statements or address public meetings without such approval.

YOUNGEST ISA CASE

The 14-year-old boy's radicalisation was triggered by the Oct 7, 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel.

This radicalisation process occurred within a "short span of months" after extensively viewing pro-Hamas content and news online.

By January, the Secondary 3 student regarded Palestinian militant groups like Hamas, AQB and Al-Quds Brigades as "legitimate defenders of Palestine" and was supportive of their violent acts, said the ISD.

He also believed that the Oct 7 attacks were justified and that all "Zionists" were enemies to be killed. Over time, he became convinced that it was his obligation as a Muslim to fight for the BFA and to die as a martyr.

The boy began adhering strictly to segregationist beliefs, such as holding the view that celebrating birthdays and talking to female classmates were forbidden under Islamic law.

He also took steps to prepare himself physically to fight for the BFA, said ISD. 

The boy planned to save money by working part-time to fund his travel to Afghanistan, where he believed the BFA would emerge. He was resolved to join the BFA even if the authorities or his family tried to stop him.

“The youth tried, unsuccessfully, to radicalise several schoolmates. The youth wanted to recruit them to fight with him alongside the BFA, and to help him carry out his attack aspirations,” said the ISD.

He started an online chat group and invited six schoolmates to join.

Sharing videos and links on armed violence, he also posted in the chat group videos of himself as a terrorist fighter. 

"In these videos, which were inspired by his admiration for Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida, the youth warned against trusting non-Muslims and spoke about the virtues of dying righteously as a martyr for Islam," said ISD.

If he could not travel to join the BFA, he was willing to conduct attacks in Singapore on the BFA's instructions.

He had hoped to expand the membership of his chat group to between 60 and 100 people, and then conduct attacks against non-Muslim communities during festivals such as Chinese New Year, Christmas and Deepavali.

“He hoped such attacks would instil fear among non-Muslims, to deter them from such ‘un-Islamic’ festivities, and facilitate the establishment of an Islamic state in Singapore,” said the ISD.

Investigations have so far shown that the youth acted alone and was unsuccessful in radicalising or recruiting his schoolmates.

"While his family members were unaware of his radicalisation, his parents had noticed expressions of the youth’s increasingly segregationist beliefs, but did not think they warranted intervention and assistance," said ISD.

The boy will undergo religious counselling by the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) to address the religious misperceptions that have contributed to his violent and extremist ideology.

He will also receive psychological counselling by an ISD psychologist to "address the non-ideological factors that rendered him vulnerable to radicalisation".

“Given his young age, he will be assigned with an RRG mentor. ISD officers will also be working closely with the youth’s family and school to ensure that he has adequate support to stay on track with his rehabilitation, and that his studies will not be disrupted,” said the authority.

FORMER PUBLIC SERVANT

An’nadya first attracted security interest in May 2021 for online posts which had the potential to incite social disharmony.

"She did not exhibit radical inclinations then, and had deleted her online posts after being advised by the authorities.

"She came to attention in April 2024 for her online activities, which included threats to attack and kill Israelis," said ISD.

Her radicalisation started after Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

An’nadya started watching online videos of the situation in Gaza, many of which showed Palestinians being killed. She also joined several social media groups, many of which shared information on military operations by Hamas and its military wing, AQB.

She subsequently became aware of the Axis of Resistance (AOR) and its military operations. The woman started to view the groups as resistance fighters, despite knowing they had been designated as terrorist organisations in several jurisdictions.

An’nadya actively participated in several pro-AOR social media groups. She would identify herself as Singaporean and openly express her support for the AOR and their violent operations.

"She frequently expressed her enmity towards Israel and Jews, and made violent threats against them. An’nadya also called for violence against Singapore," said the ISD.

The woman maintained close online contact with several foreign pro-AOR people from her chat group and exchanged violent, extremist views in private messages.

In March, one of her male foreign contacts started a new social media channel to garner public support for the AOR and invited her to be an administrator.

She agreed and volunteered to draft a standard operating procedure for the channel to ensure that its content "remained focused on encouraging support for the AOR and its violent operations".

The woman also shared the channel’s invite link with her family members and friends, but was unsuccessful in recruiting them

"The family and friends whom An’nadya tried to influence were investigated, but they were not found to be radicalised or supportive of AOR and armed violence," said ISD.

Knowing that her actions and support for the AOR were against the law, An’nadya kept her extremist activities and views from her colleagues at the statutory board.

“An’nadya’s staunch support for the AOR and their violent operations, and her willingness to spread propaganda to promote their cause, render her a security concern,” said the ISD.

“Further, her close online contact with foreign extremist elements renders her vulnerable to being exploited or recruited for terrorist activities.

"Despite being advised in 2021 to be mindful of her social media activities, An’nadya did not heed the advice. Instead, she escalated her online activities to the point of participating in radicalisation."

OVERSEAS CONFLICTS

The ISD said the two cases highlight the risk that overseas conflicts continue to have an impact on Singapore’s domestic threat landscape.

"That two Singaporeans have already been self-radicalised in the few months following the latest escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, is illustrative of the radicalising risk that foreign extremist narratives can pose to our national security and social harmony," said ISD.

“It is thus critical that we not allow extremist narratives surrounding external developments to take root in our society, even as we continue to be deeply and rightly concerned with the situation in Gaza."

ISD urged people to remain vigilant against those who encourage or legitimise acts of terrorism and violent extremism.

It said it would take firm action against any individual in Singapore who supports, promotes, undertakes or makes preparations to undertake armed violence, regardless of how they rationalise such violence, or where the violence takes place.

RECOGNISING THE SIGNS

Youth radicalisation continues to be a pressing security concern, ISD said, adding that it has dealt with 13 self-radicalised youths aged 20 and younger under the ISA since 2015.

The two cases show that anyone is susceptible to radicalisation, said ISD.

In both cases, their families had noticed shifts in their behaviour and views, but did not recognise them as possible signs of radicalisation, it added.

"As both cases highlight, such radicalisation can occur quickly, in the short span of months, reinforcing the importance of public vigilance and early intervention," said ISD.

"We must remain vigilant to signs that someone around us may have become radicalised, and quickly seek help for them, so that the authorities can intervene early to avert a tragedy.

"Family members and friends are best placed to notice changes in behaviour and alert the authorities if they suspect their loved ones have been radicalised."

Possible signs of radicalisation include posting extremist views on social media platforms, sharing such views with friends and relatives, or making remarks that promote hatred towards people of other races, religions or communities.

They may also express an intent to take part in acts of violence overseas or in Singapore or incite others to do so.

Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has been radicalised, should contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline at 1800-2626-473.

This article was originally published on Channel News Asia, CNA Online News. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.