On December 29, 2017, a video surfaced on a website known to be associated with the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, called Khayr Wilayah Media. Eight minutes long, the clip – in Arabic and English – featured footage of ISIS attacks in Paris and Nice, interspersing these with scenes from Middle Eastern conflict zones as well as festivities in Western capitals such as Sydney and New York City.

The video also included a segment in which the known Singaporean ISIS militant Megat Shahdan Abdul Samad, also known as Abu Uqayl, led two other Southeast Asian-looking ISIS fighters in executing three kneeling Arab-looking prisoners, with gunshots at point blank range. Before carrying out the cold-blooded shootings, Abu Uqayl addressed the camera in English, urging ISIS supporters to kill all “unbelievers” and “apostates” from East Asia to the west of Africa.

…Kumar Ramakrishna is Associate Professor, Head of Policy Studies and Coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

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