Singapore says woman promoted IS on web

Police say she planned training trip to Syria

SINGAPORE — Police in Singapore detained a preschool assistant who shared pro-islamic State materials online and intended to travel to Syria, their first arrest of a female Singaporean citizen alleged to be a sympathizer of the radical group, the Home Affairs Ministry said Monday.

The ministry issued a statement saying that Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari was arrested this month under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial. Singaporean authorities since 2015 have detained 14 Singaporean males suspected of being IS sympathizers.

Singapore’s immediate neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia, have large Muslim populations, and hundreds of IS sympathizers are estimated to have traveled to Syria from the two countries. Singapore is a multicultural society dominated by ethnic Chinese. Ethnic Malays, who are predominantly Muslim, make up 15 percent of its citizens.

While the country hasn’t experienced any attacks linked to Islamist militants, “a handful” of Singaporeans are believed to be fighting alongside militants in Syria, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has said.

The ministry statement said Izzah had been “radicalized in 2013 by online propaganda related to the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” and posted materials on social media supporting the group.

Izzah, who worked at PCF Sparkletots, a chain of government preschools, planned to travel to Syria with her young child and “was intent on joining” IS, the ministry said.

She was allegedly looking for a Salafi or IS supporter “to marry and settle down with.” Salafism is a form of Islam that interprets the Quran literally.

Her parents, both freelance Quranic teachers, and sister were aware of Izzah’s plans and tried to stop her, the ministry said. But when Izzah was put under investigation, a family member tried to destroy evidence to “try to minimize her acts.”

A report released by the ministry this month said that Singapore’s terrorism threat level “remains the highest in recent years.”