Singapore, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday warned of the risk of "violent splinter cells" emerging in the near future following the dissolution of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group in Indonesia.
However, the long-term impact of the group's dissolution remains to be seen, Channel News Asia reported, citing the MHA.
Multi-ethnic Singapore, a hub of global multinationals, is always on alert and on guard against terrorist activities in Southeast Asia, the ministry said, warning that the threat of terrorism to Singapore remains high and the country remains a prized target for terrorists.
The ministry urged the public to be vigilant and contact the police or the Department of Homeland Security immediately if they encounter suspicious people or activities.
The Indonesian terrorist group JI is behind some of Southeast Asia's deadliest attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, the ministry said.
"For example, the JI's radical ideologies, including the goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia through armed struggle, will likely continue to have appeal among some groups and individuals," he added.
JI leaders in Indonesia had announced the group's disbandment at an event on June 30 organized by the Indonesian national police counterterrorism squad.
Welcoming this development, the Singapore government said that the dissolution of JI in Indonesia is a "significant development and an important achievement" for the Indonesian authorities.
A video of the announcement, uploaded to the YouTube account of hardline Islamic website Arrahmah on July 3, showed 16 JI officials standing on a stage. Among them were Abu Rusdan, a militant cleric and former JI leader arrested in Bekasi in September 2021, and Para Wijayanto, who was arrested in 2019 for recruiting militants and raising funds for Syria. Both remain detained.
The dissolution was agreed to by the assembly of elders and leaders of JI-affiliated Islamic boarding schools, Abu Rusdan said.
JI members agreed to return to the fold of the Republic of Indonesia and make changes to the curriculum of JI-affiliated schools so that there are no more materials that teach extremism.
The group was formed in 1993 by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir with the mission of building an Islamic state in Southeast Asia.
Abdullah died in 1999, while Abu Bakar was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 on charges of financing the training of militants in Aceh. The 83-year-old was released in 2021 on humanitarian grounds.
Allegedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the group was designated a banned organization by the Jakarta District Court in 2008 after several terrorist attacks carried out by people acting on behalf of the group.
JI saw several divisions that resulted in organizations founded by people who were dissatisfied with the decisions of their senior leaders. Abu Bakar Bashir himself left JI and formed the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI) in 2000 before resigning in 2008 following an internal dispute.
In 2017, the United States designated MMI as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for his alleged ties to the Al Qaeda and Al Nusra Front movements. The United States considers this group to pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism, although the MMI has denied ties to terrorist groups.
However, the long-term impact of the group's dissolution remains to be seen, Channel News Asia reported, citing the MHA.
Multi-ethnic Singapore, a hub of global multinationals, is always on alert and on guard against terrorist activities in Southeast Asia, the ministry said, warning that the threat of terrorism to Singapore remains high and the country remains a prized target for terrorists.
The ministry urged the public to be vigilant and contact the police or the Department of Homeland Security immediately if they encounter suspicious people or activities.
The Indonesian terrorist group JI is behind some of Southeast Asia's deadliest attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, the ministry said.
"For example, the JI's radical ideologies, including the goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia through armed struggle, will likely continue to have appeal among some groups and individuals," he added.
JI leaders in Indonesia had announced the group's disbandment at an event on June 30 organized by the Indonesian national police counterterrorism squad.
Welcoming this development, the Singapore government said that the dissolution of JI in Indonesia is a "significant development and an important achievement" for the Indonesian authorities.
A video of the announcement, uploaded to the YouTube account of hardline Islamic website Arrahmah on July 3, showed 16 JI officials standing on a stage. Among them were Abu Rusdan, a militant cleric and former JI leader arrested in Bekasi in September 2021, and Para Wijayanto, who was arrested in 2019 for recruiting militants and raising funds for Syria. Both remain detained.
The dissolution was agreed to by the assembly of elders and leaders of JI-affiliated Islamic boarding schools, Abu Rusdan said.
JI members agreed to return to the fold of the Republic of Indonesia and make changes to the curriculum of JI-affiliated schools so that there are no more materials that teach extremism.
The group was formed in 1993 by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir with the mission of building an Islamic state in Southeast Asia.
Abdullah died in 1999, while Abu Bakar was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 on charges of financing the training of militants in Aceh. The 83-year-old was released in 2021 on humanitarian grounds.
Allegedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the group was designated a banned organization by the Jakarta District Court in 2008 after several terrorist attacks carried out by people acting on behalf of the group.
JI saw several divisions that resulted in organizations founded by people who were dissatisfied with the decisions of their senior leaders. Abu Bakar Bashir himself left JI and formed the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI) in 2000 before resigning in 2008 following an internal dispute.
In 2017, the United States designated MMI as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for his alleged ties to the Al Qaeda and Al Nusra Front movements. The United States considers this group to pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism, although the MMI has denied ties to terrorist groups.
