Three maids charged with funding terrorism
Three Indonesian domestic helpers detained under the Internal Security Act last month were charged in court yesterday with financing terrorism.
Retno Hernayani, 36, Anindia Afiyantari, 33, and Turmini, 31, were found to have collected or provided money to individuals in Indonesia between September last year and July this year.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the three maids had reasonable grounds to believe the funds would be used to facilitate terrorist acts overseas.
The trio, working here for between six and 13 years, were investigated by the Internal Security Department and issued with detention orders for supporting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Indonesia-based ISIS-affiliated group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah.
They are the first foreign domestic workers to be issued such detention orders.
A parallel investigation by the police's Commercial Affairs Department found Retno had collected a total of $100 on two occasions over March and April this year, and provided a total of $140 on another two occasions during this time.
Anindia provided a total of $130 on five occasions between February and July, while Turmini provided a total of 13 million rupiah (S$1,216) on five occasions between September last year and May this year.
They became radicalised last year after viewing online material on ISIS and were also influenced by online sermons from radical Indonesian preachers, MHA said last month.
The three set up social media accounts to post pro-ISIS material and developed a network of pro-militant online contacts.
Anindia, who was prepared to become a suicide bomber, and Retno, both intended to travel to Syria to join ISIS.
A fourth maid was arrested and has been repatriated to Indonesia. She was aware the others had been radicalised and did not report them.
Last Thursday, ex-IT engineer Ahmed Hussein Abdul Kadir Sheik Uduman, 35, was jailed for 21/2 years for donating $1,146 to a radical preacher in Jamaica in support of ISIS.
He is the first Singaporean convicted of funding terrorism.
MHA yesterday reminded the public not to remit money or provide support to terrorist organisations, or for facilitating or carrying out any terrorist act.
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