Singapore deports 8 Indonesians suspected of IS links

Jakarta, Jan 12: Singapore deported eight Indonesians, who were detained by the customs authorities while trying to enter the country, for carrying photos linked to the Islamic State (IS) terror group, officials said on Thursday. Indonesia’s counter-terrorism department is investigating the suspects, aged between 16 and 37, who claim to be preachers, Efe news reported.
The suspects are currently being held in Indonesia’s Riau province (near Singapore) after being deported on Wednesday. Photos of the IS flag, a homemade bomb and terror activities were found on the mobile phone of the leader of the group. The suspects claimed they left Padang in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province on January 3 for a preaching tour to Malaysia and southern Thailand, till they were stopped in Singapore on Tuesday. Indonesia’s counter-terrorism department detained more than a dozen people in December, dismantling two groups that were planning terror attacks. Indonesian intelligence believes that around 500 Indonesian citizens have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join the IS, out of which around 100 could have returned to the country. (IANS)