A 17-year-old secondary school boy was detained under the Internal Security Act for supporting the IS terror group.

A 17-year-old secondary school boy, who is a staunch supporter of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS) terror group, was detained last month under the Internal Security Act.

In a statement yesterday, the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said the student was first investigated in September 2017 after he posted defaced images of President Halimah Yacob on social media and called on IS to behead her for supporting Singapore, which he viewed as an “infidel” state.

The ministry said he had been radicalised by a foreign online contact, who introduced him to pro-IS social media groups in 2017.

Through these groups, the boy gained access to what he believed was exclusive IS content, according to MHA.

“In his eyes, IS was a powerful group that was fighting for Islam and its use of violence against its opponents was therefore justified,” it added.

After this came to light in 2017, the ministry said it had tried to steer the boy away from the radical path, but he remained a staunch supporter of the terror group.

He continued to believe in IS, even with the demise of the group’s so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and was willing to assist IS in its online propaganda efforts, said MHA.

He was also willing to undertake other activities if called upon by IS to do so, the ministry added.

It noted, however, that there were no signs that he had spread his pro-IS views to others around him.

Separately, the ministry also announced the release of Abu Thalha Samad from detention.

The former member of terrorgroup Jemaah Islamiyah was released when his detention order expired in September last year, after he had shown good progress in his rehabilitation and was assessed to no longer pose a security threat requiring preventive detention, said MHA.

He has been placed on a restriction order, which means he may not change jobs, move homes or travel out of Singapore without official approval, among others.