ISIS Claimed Responsibility For Zika Attack On Singapore

Isis has claimed responsibility for the Zika virus attacks on Singapore, saying it targeted Singapore as one of the foreign countries from the “Crusader Alliance” fighting their militants in Iraq and Syria.

“Islamic State fighters working in Singapore carried out a Zika virus attack last month by infecting themselves and spreading the disease in the heartlands of Singapore targeting populated areas,” Aamaaq news agency said on its Telegram channel.

Health workers battling Zika in Singapore

Isis’ claim of responsibility was impossible to verify but Indonesian police previously said they believed militants had been “imitating” the November attacks in Paris in Southeast Asia targeting densely populated areas.

If the claim is true, then it marked the first successful attack of any kind by the Isis in the island state, and possibly the first time the Isis had used biological warfare in their fight against the "Crusader Alliance".

Singapore has been identified as a possible target for attack by a Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) posting on social media, a report in May said.

It is not the first time Singapore has been cited by radicals. Last year, extremist English-language magazine Resurgence cited the Phillip Channel and Sembawang Naval Base in a piece on how militants could attack at sea.

The terror threat facing Singapore took on a more menacing face last month after six militants were arrested in Batam.

Police said their leader had been planning a rocket attack on Marina Bay together with a Syrian-based Indonesian ISIS militant. The six men in Batam had been kept under watch for a while before they were arrested by Indonesian police in an early-morning raid.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the six "were thinking of attacking Marina Bay with rockets", and "this shows how our enemies are thinking of different ways of attacking us".

He drew a parallel with Molenbeek, the Belgian town from which terrorists planned their assault on Paris last November and, in a series of coordinated attacks, killed 130 people. "There are several possible Molenbeeks around us from which attacks can be launched on Singapore. These include the Riau Islands," he said.

Terrorists Plan To Rocket Attack Marina Bay on National Day - foiled

Six terror suspects who allegedly had plans to attack Singapore’s Marina Bay financial district were arrested in Batam, Indonesia on Friday (5 August).

Local media reports cited National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar as saying that the group – led by 31-year-old factory worker Gigih Rahmat Dewa – had intended to fire a rocket towards Marina Bay from Batam some 30km away. They were arrested by members of Indonesia’s Special Detachment 88 anti-terror squad.

The suspects, aged 19 to 46, are also said to have links to Bahrun Naim, the alleged mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in Jakarta in January, who is now based in Syria. Gigih is said to have received orders from Bahrun to conduct terror attacks in Indonesia.

They are also said to have had a role in helping Indonesians gain passage to Syria via Turkey.

The launching of the rocket and firing it towards the direction of Marina Bay, would not have done much of a damage on any other day. The SOP of the IS however, is always to attack when there are very big crowds, so as to maximise casualties and damages. For this to happen, launching the attack during the evening of the National Day Parade on 9th August, would be the best time. In fact, during the firework display, the explosion may even be mistaken for a firework accident.

If it is a home-made rocket, the rocket is quite likely to be unguided. It will likely end up in the sea before reaching the Marina Bay area. If it ever reaches Marina Bay, large part of which is water, so again, it may end up harmless. The worst case scenario would be to land on top of the Marina Bay Sands' Tower top, that is, the Infinity Pool. That would be quite damaging and news-breaking.

By the same token, if it hit any commercial building or residential tower, the economic and material damage can be pretty high, not to mention, the fear and panic generated. For a single rocket, randomly landing around the Bay area, the lost of lives and injury should not be too high. A handful of deaths and wounded can be anticipated in a worst case scenario.

The bad news is, PM Lee's commitment to President Obama to send Singaporean troops to assist the Americans in Iraq, means that Singapore is now a must-hit target for the ISIL. I wonder, if LKY would ever agree to such a dumb move, if he is still alive.

Singapore authorities respond

According to a Channel NewsAsia report, Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it is aware of the group’s plan and has been working with the Indonesian authorities since the plot was uncovered.

“Our security agencies have been coordinating closely with the Indonesian authorities since the discovery of this attack plot, to monitor the activities of the group and to apprehend those involved. We are grateful for the good cooperation by the Indonesian authorities and their actions to apprehend the group,” the MHA said.

The ministry added that inland and border security measures have been stepped up in response to the “prevailing security situation”.

-Yahoo!News


SINGAPORE  — The police and other agencies have stepped up inland and border security measures, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Aug 5) after six terror suspects were arrested for allegedly trying to hit Marina Bay with rockets fired from Batam.

"In response to this threat and the prevailing security situation Police and other agencies have been stepping up inland and border security measures," a ministry spokesperson said.

The MHA added that it was "aware that plans were being made by the six terror suspects", but gave no indication as to when it first discovered the plot.

"Our security agencies have been coordinating closely with the Indonesian authorities since the discovery of this attack plot, to monitor the activities of the group and to apprehend those involved," the ministry noted. "We are grateful for the good co-operation by the Indonesian authorities and their actions to apprehend the group."

The suspects, aged 19 to 46, were arrested on Friday morning by Special Detachment 88, Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism squad. They were part of a terror cell called KGR@Katibah, according to a statement from Indonesia's national police.

The statement identified the six suspects as Gigih Rahmat Dewa, 31, Trio Syafrido, 46, Eka Saputra, 35, Tarmidzi, Hadi Gusti Yanda, 20, and M Tegar Sucianto, 19. All of them worked at a factory except Trio, who is reportedly a bank executive.

Gigih, the group's ring leader, is said to have aided militants travelling from Indonesia to Syria, via Turkey. Indonesian police have also linked him to Bahrun Naim, the alleged mastermind behind the attacks in central Jakarta earlier this year, saying: "(Gigih) is suspected of receiving and channeling funds for radical activities sourced from Bahrun Naim."

Naim, an Indonesian militant who is on the radar of the security agencies, is said to have encouraged attacks in Singapore, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in March. Mr Shanmugam has also warned on several occasions that the threat of a terror attack in Singapore is at its highest level in recent times.

Police conducting terror arrest in Batam

Commenting on the arrest of the six, Mr Shanmugam said on Friday: "This does not come as a surprise. The attacks can come from terrorists who seek to come into Singapore; and they can come from terrorists who locate themselves just outside Singapore. Our small size increases these risks."

He thanked the Indonesian authorities for taking action, and said the arrests highlighted the importance of cooperation between countries.

"Next week, during National Day, I will be in Indonesia, for a security conference, chaired by Indonesia and attended by Ministers from this region," added Mr Shanmugam. "Our people have to be extra alert. We have to emphasise the importance of SGSecure, and the role that everyone has to play."

Neither the Singapore nor the Indonesian authorities have given clues as to what type of rocket the suspects had tried to use, or if the Indonesian police managed to recover the weapon. Singapore and Batam are less than 30km apart at the nearest point.

According to an online report by Batam Pos, the suspects were arrested at various locations across Batam, including the Mediterranean Housing Block FF1 Batam Centre, Complex Masyeba, Cluster Sakura Botania, Carina Park Complex, and the Komplek Taman Indah Batuaji.

Indonesian police said the six have been trying to harbour two Uyghurs, one of whom has been deported. The other Uyghur, identified merely as Ali, is allegedly linked to Nur Rohman, a militant who carried out a suicide attack in Solo, Indonesia, in July. Ali has been detained alongside another militant Abu Mus'ab, who had allegedly sheltered Nur Rohman.

One of Gigih's neighbours said he got married four years ago and did not show signs of suspicious behaviour. “He rarely goes out, in fact, we don’t know anything about them. So far the couple has been good,” the neighbor was quoted saying by Batam Pos.

-From Today

Islamic State’s First Terror Attack next to Singapore

The IS terror attack at Puchong, KL, Malaysia, is now the closest to Singapore, displacing Jakarta from the proximity list. And the bad news is, it is getting nearer and nearer. So how ready is Singapore for the first attempt by IS to launch an attack in Singapore? Given how easily Mas Selamat escaped, and how easily bank robbers can obtain what they want from softies bank officials, we have our doubt, seriously.

Since the declaration of the so-called Islamic State in June 2014 in Syria and Iraq, the Malaysian authorities have supposedly stopped nine plots to attack Malaysia. However, they were unsuccessful in detecting and disrupting the attack in Puchong. The nature of the current wave of terrorism had changed from group attacks to networked attacks making it a challenge even for the best security and intelligence services to prevent all the attacks.

A week before the attack in Malaysia, Mohd Rafi Udin alias Abu ‘Awn al-Malizi appeared on a video released by the Islamic State Philippines on 21 June 2016, threatening Malaysia. In response to the video, Malaysian Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar challenged Rafi Udin who is from Negri Sembilan, to return home from Syria and take the authorities head-on, saying: “If you dare to make threats from afar, come back here and do it.”

The IS attack in Malaysia, despite continuing counter terrorism operations, demonstrates that the IS ideology has spread and established a regional presence, in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines, with support in Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei.

Since the Russian air campaign in Syria in 2015, IS has suffered but continues to replenish its losses. Although the IS threat in Iraq and Syria has plateaued, IS is in a growth phase in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus. To counter the threat, governments will have to develop greater intelligence and operational capabilities both in the physical and cyber space to counter the extant and emerging threat. With its mastery in exploiting the social media, IS succeeded in creating pockets of supporters and sympathisers throughout the Muslim world, including in Southeast Asia.

In addition to building greater capacities to monitor and counter the threat, the strategy of governments and their community partners should be to reach out to vulnerable segments of Muslim communities to prevent radicalisation and enhance detection.

Hijacked Indonesian plane to crash into Singapore

From: "Alexx"
Subject: Re: Possible : Hijacked Malaysian/Indoneisan plane to crash into Singapore ?

"truth" wrote in message

> It is a scary scenario. A plan hijacked in Indonesian to land in
> Batam. Then diverted into tall buildings in Singapore.
> This scenario is entirely possible.
> There is little Singapore can do. It takes minutes to strike.
> Not enough time to send fighter up to intercept.

Targeting 'pariahment house' when all the cabinet ministers were inside
having their ideas rubber stamped?
----------------------
FEARS that Islamist terrorists plan to hijack an Indian passenger jet and crash it into a British city helped to prompt this weekend’s heightened terror alert.

MI5 was told by the Indian authorities early last week about a suspected plot by militants linked to Al-Qaeda in Pakistan to hijack an Air India or Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai or Delhi.

The warning, which came after the capture of a suspected Islamic leader, was contained in a detailed “threat assessment” sent to MI5 by the Indian Intelligence Bureau. It did not state that Britain was a specific target. But police security sources said it had raised fears in London that a British city might be attacked.

US warned of Terror Attack in Sabah

From: Tanki <5191 ...="" gmail.com="">
Subject: US warned tourists of Terror Attack in Sabah & Sarawak

By Barney Henderson in Kuala Lumpur

US embassy officials in Malaysia say terrorist groups are planning to
increase attacks in the state of Sabah.

The state famed for its dramatic mountain range, including the highest
mountain in south east Asia, Mount Kinabalu, and world class diving –
is popular among British tourists.

The US government believes that there is “present concern” that the
Abu Sayyaf group of Islamic militants, with links to al Qaeda, is
planning to attack foreign tourists in Sabah and issued a travel
notice on Friday.

“There are indications that both criminal and terrorist groups are
planning or intend acts of violence against foreigners in eastern
Sabah,” the 'warden notice’ states.

“The Abu Sayyaf Group has kidnapped foreigners in eastern Sabah in the
past.”

The Foreign Office advises caution to British travellers to Sabah,
stating that boats travelling to and from islands and dive sites are
potential targets and that attacks can be indiscriminate.

“There is a general threat from terrorism in the area,” a Foreign
Office spokesperson said. “We advice all people travelling to Borneo
to regularly check the FCO website, which is constantly updated.”

Between January and October 2009, 27,550 British and Irish tourists
visited Sabah. The region boasts a diverse mixture of rich
rainforests, picturesque mountains, miles of sandy beaches and clear
seas that are full of exotic sea life and perfect for diving.

The Sabah Tourism Board immediately refuted the US travel notice by
stating that Malaysian police and armed forces have put “extensive
measures” in place to combat terrorist attacks on tourists.

“There are no problems at all with terrorists in Sabah and Malaysia as
a whole, it is safe” Senator Datuk T Murugiah, deputy minister in the
prime minister’s department told The Daily Telegraph. “We have secured
our borders and police and armed forces are there to protect
tourists.”

Abu Sayyaf — which means “bearer of the sword” in Arabic – has links
to both al-Qaeda and fellow regional Islamic separatist groups, Jemaah
Islamiyah and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

It is based in the restive southern Philippines, but the group has
been active in Malaysia.

Despite currently numbering fewer than 500 men, Abu Sayyaf has a
history of attacks on foreigners for ransom money.

In May 2001 the group kidnapped 20 people, including three Americans,
at a resort in the Philippines. One of the Americans was beheaded,
while a second was shot dead during a rescue attempt over a year
later.

In 2000 the group kidnapped an American on the Philippine island of
Jolo and demanded that the United States release Sheikh Omar Abdel
Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, who were jailed for their involvement in the
1993 World Trade Center bombing.

“We want to fight the American people,” an Abu Sayyaf spokesman said
at the time.