Ex-public servant issued with ISA order ‘attracted security interest’
The 33-year-old former public servant who was issued a restriction order under the Internal Security Act (ISA) earlier in July was already on the authorities’ radar for making online posts that could incite social disharmony.
An’nadya An’nahari attracted security interest back in May 2021, said the Internal Security Department (ISD) on July 15. She did not exhibit radical inclinations then, and deleted her online posts when advised to.
But she came to attention again in April 2024 for her online activities, which included threats to attack and kill Israelis, the ISD said.
She was advised in 2021 to be mindful of her social media activities, but did not heed this, the ISD added.
“Instead, she escalated her online activities to the point of participating in radicalisation.”
At one point, she even became an administrator of a social media channel that supported causes of the Axis of Resistance (AOR), a network of Islamist militant and terrorist organisations such as Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades (AQB), Hezbollah and the Houthis, it stated.
An’nadya was, at the point of investigation, a manager with a statutory board, which the ISD did not name, but it said she is no longer employed there.
Speaking to the media on July 15, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said: “An’nadya was aware that her online activities were unlawful, not acceptable for a public servant. So she hid her extremist views and activities from her colleagues.
“Her support for AOR’s violence, her spreading of propaganda to promote their cause, was a cause for concern and a security risk.”
He added that as an adult, she should have been more aware of the dangers of radicalisation, yet was still vulnerable.
The ISD said An’nadya’s radicalisation started after Hamas’ attacks against Israel on Oct 7, 2023, as she watched videos online of the situation in Gaza, many of which showed Palestinians being killed.
She also joined several social media groups, many of which shared information on military operations by Hamas and its military wing, AQB.
She later came to know of the AOR. Despite knowing that the groups under the AOR had been designated as terrorist organisations in several jurisdictions, she began to view them as resistance fighters.
Her support could be seen through her active participation in pro-AOR social media groups, where she would identify herself as a Singaporean and openly expressed her support for the AOR and its violent operations, the ISD said.
“She frequently expressed her enmity towards Israel and Jews, and made violent threats against them,” it added.
She is the second public servant to be issued an ISA order.
An’nadya also called for violence against Singapore, the ISD pointed out.
She became an administrator of a new social media channel created in March 2024 to spread awareness of the AOR’s military operations and garner public support for it, after a male foreign contact invited her to do so, the ISD said.
This came about as she had maintained close online contact with several foreign pro-AOR individuals from her chat groups.
She volunteered to draft a standard operating procedure for the channel, the ISD said. This was to ensure that the channel’s content remained focused on encouraging support for the AOR and its violent operations.
An’nadya had also shared the channel’s invite link with her family members and friends to encourage them to join, but was unsuccessful in recruiting them, it added.
“An’nadya’s staunch support for the AOR and their violent operations and her willingness to spread propaganda to promote their cause render her a security concern,” the ISD said.
“Further, her close online contact with foreign extremist elements renders her vulnerable to being exploited or recruited for terrorist activities,” it added.
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