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Posted: 2016-07-30 05:40:45

An Australian resident has been arrested in Singapore for "terrorism-related activities" that included supporting Islamic State and encouraging violence through Facebook posts.

The Ministry of Home Affairs identified the detained suspect as Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, 44, and said he had been held this month under an Internal Security Act (ISA) that allows for suspects to be held for lengthy periods without trial.

Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, has been living in Australia for several years, leaving Singapore after run-ins with ...
Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, has been living in Australia for several years, leaving Singapore after run-ins with Muslim leaders and the authorities. Photo: YouTube

The ministry said Zulfikar had been "radicalised" in 2001 before settling with his family in Australia in 2012.

Singapore media has reported that Shariff studied at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

A photo Zulfikar Shariff posted on his Facebook page of himself with his children in front of a flag used by jihadi ...
A photo Zulfikar Shariff posted on his Facebook page of himself with his children in front of a flag used by jihadi terror group Photo: Supplied

Authorities have detained or repatriated dozens of people in the past year, most of them migrant Bangladeshi workers, for suspected links to militant fund-raising. Several Singaporeans have also been radicalised, with some trying to join the Islamic State in Syria, authorities have said.

He was found to be supportive of IS as well as al Qaeda and an allied regional group called Jemaah Islamiah, and he had strongly encouraged Muslims to engage in armed jihad via postings on Facebook, it said.

Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, is accused of actively spreading radical ideology online and helping radicalise at least ...
Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, 44, is accused of actively spreading radical ideology online and helping radicalise at least two other citizens by the Singaporean government. Photo: Facebook

"In view of the high level of the terrorism threat that Singapore currently faces, and the global terrorism threat posed by ISIS, Zulfikar's promotion of violence and ISIS and his radicalising influence pose a security threat to Singapore," it said, referring to Islamic State.

Zulfikar had contributed to the radicalisation of a man detained under the ISA last year and to that of "a radicalised businessman" who had been placed under a restriction order this month. A restriction order means a person cannot move home, change jobs or go abroad without approval. 

Reuters

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