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Singapore detains terror suspect

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: In a continuing anti-terror drive, Singapore has announced the detention of four members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), widely regarded as the southeast Asian affiliate of Al-Qaeda, and also a "self-radicalised" citizen.

They were detained under the Internal Security Act in recent months. The Home Affairs Ministry said on Friday night that "there is a troubling new phenomenon of individuals who are self-radicalised, independent of direct recruitment by established terrorist groups." "

The release of five other JI detainees was also announced at the same time. Singapore was the first state in the region to detect the existence of JI during security operations that followed the terrorist strikes in the U.S. in 2001.

The "self-radicalised Singaporean," was nabbed before he could "embark on militant jihad" One of the JI activists, whose detention was now announced, was a member of a team that planned to hijack an aircraft to crash it into the Changi airport here, the Government said.

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