S'porean charged over event where foreigner with alleged terror ties preached to migrant workers

A Singaporean man has been accused of organising an event at a foreign workers' dormitory involving Bangladeshi national Amir Hamza, a preacher with reported links to a pro-Al-Qaeda organisation in his country.

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

Abdus Sattar was charged on March 27 with one count each of abetting a foreigner to conduct activities as a religious speaker in Singapore without a work pass; organising a public assembly without a police permit; and providing public entertainment without a licence.

Sattar, 51, is said to have organised the event at Lantana Lodge in Tech Park Crescent, near Tuas South Avenue 4, on Aug 9, 2024.

At the time, Sattar was a director at dormitory operator SBM Electrical & Automation, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a joint release on March 27.

SBM Electrical & Automation was charged with failing to maintain an up-to-date record of persons who were not dormitory residents when they entered and left the dormitory on or around Aug 9, 2024.

The cases involving Sattar and SBM will be mentioned again in court on April 24.

SPF and MOM said Sattar had allegedly invited Hamza Md Amir alias Amir Hamza and another Bangladeshi known as Ullah Mohammed Neamat to a religious public assembly held on Aug 9, 2024.