Singapore maids worked for IS

The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has confirmed the arrest of three maids by Hong Kong authorities. #Indonesianmaids #ISrecruits

MANILA — The Islamic State is actively recruiting domestic helpers in Singapore and Hong Kong via social media and Singaporean authorities have detained three radicalized Indonesians who had planned to travel to Syria on a suicide bombing mission and donated money to Islamic militants abroad.

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said an investigation of the activities of the three Indonesians is ongoing while they are detained but no charges have been filed against them yet since their arrest in September. Under Singapore’s Internal Security Act, the detention may take 2 years. The same anti-terrorism law punishes violators with up to 10 years imprisonment and fines of up to 500,000 Singapore dollars ($362,000).

The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has confirmed the arrest and is providing consular assistance to the women while legal assistance is pending approval. It also said that at least 20 radicalized domestic workers were deported back to Indonesia.

There was also a case of an Indonesian working in Hong Kong as maid who married in 2015 an Islamic militant, Adi Jihadi, and became his second wife. Jihadi was arrested in 2017 for buying weapons and training in Mindanao.