Four Bangladeshi nationals who contributed money to buy weapons and wage an armed jihad in Bangladesh were sentenced to between 24 and 60 months' jail on Tuesday (Jul 12).
The men – Rahman Mizanur, Miah Rubel, Md Jabath Kysar Haje Norul Islam Sowdagar and Sohel Hawlader Ismail Hawlader – pleaded guilty in May to one or two counts each of providing or collecting hundreds of dollars to fund terror attacks in Bangladesh.
The group's ringleader, Rahman, was sentenced to five years' jail. Sohel was given two years behind bars, while Miah and Jabath were given 30 months each.
"Much havoc can be wracked with inexpensive items. The cost of a terrorist act can be modest, but the cost to society is far greater. Singapore must take a firm stance against terrorism and terrorism financing," said the prosecution.
They are part of a group of eight detained in April under Singapore’s Internal Security Act, because of their support for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and their readiness to use violence overseas, the Ministry of Home Affairs had said.
Ringleader Mizanur had set up the group, which called itself Islamic State in Bangladesh, after developing a “liking” for ISIS, prosecutors said.
Mizanur had tried to join ISIS thrice, but was unable to obtain a visa to travel to Turkey and Algeria. He travelled to Singapore instead, where he recruited at least eight men, who met regularly in public parks to discuss waging an armed jihad against non-believers in Bangladesh.
The prosecution had asked for 60 months' jail for ringleader Mizanur, and between 24 months and 30 months for the other three.
FOUR MEN YET TO BE DEALT WITH
Two men – Zzaman Daulat and Mamun Leakot Ali – have denied the charges against them.
Daulat claimed he did not know the money he contributed would be used for terrorism activities. However, other members of the group admitted they had pledged allegiance to Abu Bakar al-Bagdadi, the leader of ISIS, alongside Daulat in January.
Another two men who were also part of Mizanur’s group, Sohag Ibrahim and Islam Shariful, both 24, will be dealt with separately.
The punishment for financing terrorism is up to 10 years’ jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
