Housewife detained under ISA after planning to join ISIS in Syria
She was issued a restriction order last year after she was found to have been radicalised by her husband
She was issued a restriction order under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in August last year, but Ruqayyah Ramli's radical behaviour did not stop.
Instead, the Singaporean housewife and former religious teacher's radical beliefs and actions escalated, said the Internal Security Department (ISD) yesterday.
Ruqayyah, 34, was detained under the ISA for planning to travel to Syria to support terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
ISD said Ruqayyah was issued with the restriction order last year, after she was found to have been radicalised by her husband, Mohd Firdaus Kamal Intdzam, a Malaysian who worked as a cleaner here.
He was arrested under the ISA in July last year and deported to Malaysia.
Investigations at the time established that she had supported his intention to join and fight for ISIS in Syria.
She had failed to respond to religious counselling after his arrest and refused to turn away from her radical path.
Under a restriction order, a person is not allowed to change their residence, employment or travel out of Singapore without official approval. They are also barred from issuing public statements or joining organisations without approval.
However, Ruqayyah persisted in communicating online with overseas ISIS supporters who were associates of Firdaus.
"She was thus detained to prevent her from progressing further down the violent radical path," ISD said.
Ruqayyah, who was accredited by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore in September 2017, has had her accreditation suspended.
Another individual, Singaporean Ahmed Hussein Abdul Kadir Sheik Uduman, was issued a restriction order last month, ISD said.
He was detained in August 2018 for supporting ISIS. His detention order was cancelled in October 2019 after he was sentenced to 30 months' jail for terrorism financing offences.
ISD said it continued Hussein's rehabilitation during his imprisonment, and because of his progress and positive assessment, he was issued with a restriction order upon completing his prison sentence last month.
Two other self-radicalised Singaporeans were released from detention last month for showing good progress in their rehabilitation and were assessed to no longer pose a security threat requiring preventive detention, ISD said.
Mohamed Faishal Mohd Razali, 30, who was detained in April 2018, was released under a suspension direction, while Kuthubdeen Haja Najumudeen, 38, was released on a restriction order.
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