The Singapore authorities confirmed yesterday the deportation of four Indonesians who were apparently planning to go to Syria to fight for the Islamic State (IS). Confirming reports from Indonesia, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the Indonesian authorities were informed before the four males — the youngest of whom was 15 — were deported.

The suspects are from Java and had flown to Singapore from Jakarta a few days ago; they had travelled to Johor before returning to Singapore, The Jakarta Globe reported. They had return tickets to Indonesia via Batam, but had apparently revealed to Singapore authorities during questioning that they were heading to Syria.

According to The Straits Times, the four individuals are Muhammad Mufid Murtadho, Untung Sugema Mardjuk, Mukhlis Koifur Rofiq and Risno, and they are linked to jailed radical cleric Aman Abdurrahman, who is in a Nusakambangan prison.

… Batam and the Riau Islands have been linked to terrorist activities, according to security experts. In the 1950s and ’60s, the Riau Islands — which today also include Bintan and Karimun — were used by elements of the Communist Party of Malaya to infiltrate into Singapore, said Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. In late-2001, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) explored the possibility of smuggling explosive materials into Singapore from Batam, he said.