Three JI members released last year

Three Jemaah Islamiah (JI) members were released from detention last year, after being assessed that they no longer pose a security threat which requires preventive detention, the Ministry of Home Affairs said yesterday.

They were identified as Sahrudin Mohd Sapian, Mohamed Rafee Abdul Rahman and Mohamed Rashid Zainal Abidin.

Sahrudin and Rafee were detained under the Internal Security Act in February 2012.

At the time, Sahrudin was described as a pioneer member of the Singapore JI network, and Rafee as having provided logistical support for the regional JI network.

Both were found to have undergone terrorist training in Afghanistan in 2000. After being detained for two years, Sahrudin and Rafee were released from detention and placed on Restriction Orders (ROs) in February last year.

ROs regulate an individual's movements, and require him to seek approval when changing jobs, for instance.

The third released JI member, Rashid, was detained in May 2006, and had undergone terrorist training in the southern Philippines. He was one of the five men involved in a failed 2002 plot to crash a plane into Changi Airport.

Rashid was released from detention and placed on a RO in May last year.

Separately, the ministry announced that ROs against five individuals were allowed to lapse between June last year and last month.

Of the five, four were JI members and identified as Ab Wahab Ahmad, Syed Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mohd Noor and Jahpar Osman.

The fifth was a self-radicalised individual, Muhammad Thahir Shaik Dawood.

All five men have been cooperative and responsive to rehabilitation efforts, said the ministry.

rchang@sph.com.sg

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