Singapore jails two more Bangladeshis for terrorist financing
They were the second set of Bangladeshi workers to be jailed under a Singaporean law against terrorist financing
A file photo of Singapore Police. PHOTO: AFP
SINGAPORE:
Two more Bangladeshi expatriate workers accused of planning to join the Islamic State group were jailed Tuesday in Singapore for raising money to fund attacks in their homeland.
Zzaman Daulat, 34, and Mamun Leakot Ali, 29, were jailed for two years and two and a half years, respectively, after admitting terrorist financing charges in a district court.
Court documents said the men contributed between Sg$200 ($146) and Sg$500 to help fund a terror campaign in Bangladesh, and plotted to overthrow the government there to set up a caliphate.
Singapore jails four Bangladeshis for terrorist financing
They were the second set of Bangladeshi workers to be jailed under a Singaporean law against terrorist financing.
In July four Bangladeshi workers were jailed for between two and five years for the same offence.
The six were among a second group of Bangladeshis rounded up in Singapore after 27 were arrested in late 2015, also over alleged plots in their homeland. All from the first group have since been deported.
Most of the workers were in the construction and marine sectors.
Zzaman and Mamun had initially intended to contest the charges but decided to plead guilty. They were represented by local lawyers for free.
Singapore decried for barring foreign sponsorship of gay rally
One of their lawyers, Noor Marican, told the court both men were deeply apologetic and had committed the offence in a moment of foolishness, local media reported.
Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a spate of brutal attacks on secular bloggers and religious minorities recently, with gunmen killing 20 hostages -- mainly foreigners -- at an upmarket restaurant in the capital Dhaka last month. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
Singapore is highly dependent on foreign labour in sectors such as construction. It hosted 1.38 million foreign workers last year, many of them from South Asia.
Two more Bangladeshi expatriate workers accused of planning to join the Islamic State group were jailed Tuesday in Singapore for raising money to fund attacks in their homeland.
Zzaman Daulat, 34, and Mamun Leakot Ali, 29, were jailed for two years and two and a half years, respectively, after admitting terrorist financing charges in a district court.
Court documents said the men contributed between Sg$200 ($146) and Sg$500 to help fund a terror campaign in Bangladesh, and plotted to overthrow the government there to set up a caliphate.
Singapore jails four Bangladeshis for terrorist financing
They were the second set of Bangladeshi workers to be jailed under a Singaporean law against terrorist financing.
In July four Bangladeshi workers were jailed for between two and five years for the same offence.
The six were among a second group of Bangladeshis rounded up in Singapore after 27 were arrested in late 2015, also over alleged plots in their homeland. All from the first group have since been deported.
Most of the workers were in the construction and marine sectors.
Zzaman and Mamun had initially intended to contest the charges but decided to plead guilty. They were represented by local lawyers for free.
Singapore decried for barring foreign sponsorship of gay rally
One of their lawyers, Noor Marican, told the court both men were deeply apologetic and had committed the offence in a moment of foolishness, local media reported.
Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a spate of brutal attacks on secular bloggers and religious minorities recently, with gunmen killing 20 hostages -- mainly foreigners -- at an upmarket restaurant in the capital Dhaka last month. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.
Singapore is highly dependent on foreign labour in sectors such as construction. It hosted 1.38 million foreign workers last year, many of them from South Asia.