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SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old man was charged on Wednesday (Jul 29) with terrorism financing offences over fund transfers allegedly intended to support attacks in Gaza.
Saw Ryan Htoo, a Myanmar national and Singapore permanent resident, said he would not be pleading guilty and that his family would engage a lawyer.
According to charge sheets, he is accused of transferring US$72.28 (S$93) around Aug 9, 2024, to a PayPal account belonging to a person named Bradley Sainsbury. The transfer was allegedly intended to facilitate a terrorist act in Gaza City.
More than a week later, around Aug 19, the accused allegedly attempted to transfer a further US$1 to another PayPal account linked to an individual named Meredith Pollick, again with the intention of facilitating a terrorist act in Gaza.
In an earlier media release, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the case came to light after the man’s extremist online posts drew the attention of authorities, prompting an investigation by the Internal Security Department (ISD).
ISD said he was believed to have been radicalised after consuming extremist content online. In 2024, he allegedly developed a strong hatred of Muslims after being exposed to Islamophobic material following Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attacks against Israel.
MHA added that he had subscribed to an extremist interpretation of Zionism, and believed violence against Palestinian Muslims was justified on the basis that the biblical holy land belonged exclusively to Jews.
By early 2025, the accused also developed a strong hatred towards Jews, after consuming far-right extremist and anti-Semitic narratives on social media, the ministry said.
He allegedly went on to make posts supporting violence against Jews, Muslims and other groups commonly targeted by far-right extremists, including immigrants to Europe and the LGBT community.
ISD investigations found that he had been in contact on social media platform X with a user overseas who claimed to be soliciting donations to purchase military equipment. The accused allegedly believed the funds would be used to facilitate attacks in Gaza aimed at eradicating Palestinians, including civilians.
ISD referred the accused to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) for potential terrorism-financing offences.
A parallel CAD probe found that he had allegedly made the US$72.28 transfer and attempted the second US$1 transfer to PayPal accounts designated by the overseas X user.
The case was adjourned for a pre-trial conference in August.
If convicted of financing terrorism, the man faces a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both. The same penalties apply to attempting to finance terrorism.
