Eight suspected Bangladeshi ISIS members arrested in Singapore

Singapore has detained eight Bangladeshi workers on suspicion of planning attacks linked to ISIS in their home country.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the eight construction and marine workers were detained last month for allegedly being members of the group Islamic State in Bangladesh and are currently under investigation.

It said they were arrested under the city-state's Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial in cases where public safety is threatened.

The ministry said the suspects had intended to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria as foreign fighters but discovered that it would be difficult to make their way there.

The group then focused on returning to Bangladesh, where at least two more members are believed to be based, it said.

They made plans to 'overthrow the democratically elected government through the use of force, establish an Islamic State in Bangladesh and bring it under ISIS' self-declared caliphate.'

'The group had also raised funds to purchase firearms to carry out their planned terror attacks in Bangladesh. The money has since been seized,' it said.

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