Singapore arrested 27 Bangladeshi men in late 2015 as they supported the extremist ideology of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (IS), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on January 20.

According to the ministry’s statement, the men worked in the local construction industry and were detained between November 16 and December 1 under the Internal Security Act.

Of the arrested, 26 were deported, while the remaining is currently serving a jail sentence for attempting to leave Singapore illegally after learning about the arrests of the others.

Six among the arrested (Source: MHA)

According to the ministry, the group members took measures to avoid detection by the authorities to share jihadi-related material discreetly among themselves, and hold weekly meetings and gatherings where they discussed armed jihad and conflicts that involved Muslims.

They also carefully targeted other Bangladeshi nationals to grow their membership.

A significant amount of radical and jihadi-related material like books and videos were also seized.

Investigations disclosed that while several members of the group had considered carrying out violence overseas, they were not planning any terrorist attacks in Singapore.

(Source: VNA)