Maid gets two years’ jail for funding terrorist activities
Indonesian contributed $130 to support terrorist acts
A foreign domestic worker was was jailed for two years yesterday for contributing $130 to support terrorism activities.
Anindia Afiyantari, 32, earned about $600 a month while working here.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of terrorism financing under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act.
She had contributed $40 in March and $50 in July last year.
Two other charges involving $20 each in February and May last year were taken into consideration.
Three other Indonesian maids, Retno Hernayani, 37, Yulistika and Nurhasanah, both 33, were also involved.
In 2009 or 2010, Anindia got to know Indonesian-based terrorist group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), after watching a news programme about the arrest of radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.
She then followed the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-affiliated group through her friends in Indonesia.
In June 2018, she met Yulistika, who introduced her to the other two maids.
The four would meet to discuss their understanding of ISIS and its practices.
Anindia started to upload information about ISIS, including videos on the bombing and killing of people, onto Facebook, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Khoo.
Whenever her account was blocked, she would create another one using a different e-mail address.
Her multiple accounts were eventually banned.
In March last year, the four maids agreed to donate $20 each to purported religious charity Aseer Cruee Centre to help the families of JAD members who had died or were in prison, and also to support JAD activities.
Anindia also decided to donate $20 a month to another purported charity Anfiqu Centre (AFC) that supported JAD after she saw its donation appeals.
In March last year, she gave $20 to Yulistika to remit the money to AFC.
In July last year, she remitted another $50 on her own.
Anindia was arrested on Aug 20 last year.
Last month, Retno was jailed for 18 months.
The other two maids left Singapore in May and June last year, before investigations started, and have not returned since.
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