S’porean Charged for Funding Terrorist Attacks in Syria

Let’s be real here: everyone dreams of being rich.

If you had all the money in the world, what would you spend it on?

Some common answers would probably be clothes, cars, video games, a house.

You know, just living that Kardashian life.

Unfortunately, some people would rather waste that money funding terrorist attacks.

S’pore Businessman Charged for Funding Terrorist Attacks in Syria 

On Monday (19 July), 50-year-old Mohamed Kazali Salleh appeared in a district court via video link, where he was charged for helping to fund terrorist attacks in Syria.

He is facing three charges of terror financing, which Kazali allegedly intends to plead guilty to. He also reportedly intends to get his own lawyer.

Currently, Kazali is detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

According to The Straits Times, the prosecution requested for no bail to be offered to Kazali. The prosecution stated that offering bail would be “prejudicial to the security of Singapore” and “special arrangements” have been made to remand him.

As it turns out, Kazali was not offered bail. His case will next be heard on 11 August.

On three occasions between December 2013 and early 2014, Kazali reportedly gave money to someone named “Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin” with the intention for the money to be used to fund terrorist attacks in Syria, court documents read.

Kazali is also accused of handing over RM1,000 to Wan Mohd Aquil on one occasion at a bus terminal in Johor Bahru. On two other occasions, Kazali allegedly remitted US$351.75 and RM500 through Western Union in Singapore and in Malaysia respectively.

If found guilty, for each charge, Kazali can be sentenced to up to 10 years’ jail or fined up to S$500,000, or both under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act which was introduced in 2002.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Kazali was based in Malaysia, and was arrested by Malaysian Special Branch officers in December 2018. Following this, he was deported to Singapore, where he was issued an Order of Detention in January 2019 under the ISA for his support of the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“He was a close associate of Syria-based ISIS militant Malaysian Wan Mohd Aquil bin Wan Zainal Abidin, also known as Akel Zainal, believed to be the most senior ISIS fighter in Syria prior to his reported death in March 2019,” said MHA in their statement on Monday.

Akel had allegedly instructed two Malaysian ISIS supporters to attack places of worship and police stations in Malaysia in 2019. However, the arrest of said supporters in November 2018 had foiled his plans.

The Order of Detention against Kazali will be canceled if he is convicted, said MHA. Instead, he will serve the sentence decided on by the court.

Kazali will be held separately and continue to undergo rehabilitation if he is sentenced to a prison term. According to MHA, this is in order “to prevent him from spreading his radical ideas to other inmates.”

Kazali will be assessed at the end of his sentence to see if he has been successfully rehabilitated or remains a threat to society. MHA added that Kazali can be detained further under the ISA if it is decided that he remains a threat.

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