An 18-year-old student was detained in Singapore under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in December, after he formulated plans to participate in armed violence in Singapore and abroad.
The Internal Security Department (ISD) stated in a press statement on Wednesday (1 February) that Muhammad Irfan Danyal Mohamad Nor had been self-radicalized by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) propaganda online since 2020.
He has planned at least three attack plans against Singaporean targets. They included ambushing, stabbing, and murdering "disbelievers" in dark alleys, launching a mass-casualty attack on the Amoy Quee Camp, and contemplating a bomb attack on Keramat Habib Noh at the Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque.
At the time of his detention, Irfan’s attack plans targeting Amoy Quee Camp and Keramat Habib Noh had not advanced beyond the conceptualization stage.
Irfan's radicalization began when he saw YouTube recordings of the foreign extremist speaker Zakir Naik. He also participated in debates on social media sites, where he was exposed to ISIS propaganda.
ISD stated in a press statement that he became fascinated with ISIS and admired the mujahideen (fighters) seen in jihadist movies. In late 2021, he began to photograph himself wearing a ski mask, imitating the ISIS militants he had saw online.
Irfan aspired to build an Islamic caliphate in Singapore and recruit Muslims to join. On August 9, 2022, he put a self-made banner at Coney Island, modeled after the flag of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Syrian terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
He said that the deed signified the beginning of his own caliphate on Singapore's National Day, and he posted images of the flag on his social media account to entice others to join his caliphate, which he dubbed the "Islamic State of Singhafura."
Irfan was convinced of ISIS's legitimacy by October of last year and chose to fly to Nigeria to engage in armed warfare with the Islamic State in West Africa Province, as he thought ISWAP to be ISIS's most powerful affiliate.
ISD said that if he was unable to join ISWAP, Iraq, Syria, or Marawi in the southern Philippines were viable locations for armed warfare. He searched online for flights from Singapore to various destinations and intended to travel to the combat zones once he had amassed sufficient funds.
Irfan intended to demonstrate his support for ISIS by recording himself taking the bai'ah (pledge of allegiance) to Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, the leader of ISIS at the time.
He had intended to film his bai’ah at Coney Island on the weekend of 12 to 13 November last year, donning his National Cadet Corps (NCC) uniform and a self-made ISIS flag and headband, and carrying a toy gun, to emulate ISIS warriors he had seen in online ISIS propaganda.
In addition, he planned to designate Coney Island an ISIS wilayat (province) in the hopes that it would be recognized as an official ISIS branch. He intended to broadcast the video to many social media sites in order to recruit between 100 and 500 ISIS members who would aid him in committing strikes in Singapore.
ISD’s research to-date suggests that Irfan acted alone, and there is no indication that he was successful in recruiting or radicalising others. His family was unaware of his assault preparations or his intention to engage in armed action abroad.
A few days before he planned to videotape his bai'ah to ISIS and declare Coney Island an ISIS wilayat, he was detained. According to ISD, he had become an immediate threat to national security, and he was held under the ISA.
ISD stated in a media release, "Irfan's case demonstrates the ongoing appeal of ISIS's violent ideology, which is perpetuated by its online propaganda campaigns and network of global affiliates."
"The case also highlights the recent trend of young radicalization and the danger of lone-actor strikes against vulnerable targets utilizing simple, readily available weaponry. In the previous two years, ISD has captured three self-radicalised youngsters who had intended to carry out attacks in Singapore."
Those who know or think that a person has been radicalized should contact the ISD's Counter-Terrorism Centre at 1800-2626473, according to the ISD.
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