Six Bangladeshi men in Singapore were today charged with involvement in financing terror activities back home to overthrow the government, the first to be prosecuted under the country's tough terrorism act.
The six were among the eight Bangladeshi men detained by the police in April under Singapore's Internal Security Act which allows suspects to be held for long periods without court trials.
The six were charged "for providing and/or collecting property for terrorist purposes," said a police statement.
Two of them will also be charged for possession of property for terrorist purposes under the same Act.
"Singapore takes a serious view of any support for terrorism-related activities. The authorities will take firm and decisive action against any person who provides, collects and/or possesses property for terrorist purposes," the statement added.
They were plotting to establish an Islamic State in Bangladesh and overthrow the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to a earlier statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on May 3.
The group, working here in the construction and marine industries, was set up by 31-year-old Rahman Mizanur in March this year and called itself Islamic State in Bangladesh.
Most of the group members were in their 20's and early 30's.
Based on investigations by MHA, the group had identified several possible attack targets in Bangladesh, and possessed documents on weapons and bomb making.
They also had significant amount of ISIS and al-Qaeda radical material and planned to recruit other Bangladeshi nationals working in Singapore to grow their group, according to a report by the Channel News Asia.
MHA said it had also seized funds the group had raised to buy firearms to carry out their planned terror attacks in Bangladesh.
Their goal was to set up an Islamic State back home and bring it under the self-declared caliphate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the statement added.
Except one, all the accused told the court they intended to plead guilty.
They were brought to the court this afternoon in three separate armoured trucks, under heavy armed escort, according to media reports.
