Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) cancelled the work permits of two Bangladeshi construction workers, 25-year-old Tayani Md Risad and 37-year-old Islam Sahedul, due to extremist postings on social media platforms [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. They were investigated separately by the ISD in July 2026 and repatriated to Bangladesh on July 8, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

Risad expressed support online for Shafiur Rahman Farabi, a radical Islamist writer linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir, a banned fundamentalist group. Farabi has incited violence against secular and atheist bloggers in Bangladesh [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Sahedul posted inflammatory comments about the Israel-Iran conflict and labeled Muslims who reject Shariah law as infidels, or "kafir" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

The ISD found no evidence either man intended to carry out terrorist attacks or was involved in terrorist activities in Singapore. Neither was linked to previous self-radicalisation cases handled under the Internal Security Act [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

An ISD spokeswoman said, "However, their extremist and divisive views are inimical to Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-religious society," prompting the cancellation of their work permits [1]. Both men worked in Singapore's construction industry [5, 6, 7].

Upon arrival at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on July 8, Bangladeshi authorities detained Risad and Sahedul. Officials seized three phones and three passports from them [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

The following day, the two men appeared in a Dhaka court. Authorities applied for further remand to interrogate their possible ties to militant groups, networks, and funding sources [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7]. During the hearing, Risad said he was previously detained in Singapore in 2023 over Facebook posts about another radical Islamist group in Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam [1, 2, 3, 5, 6]. The judge questioned their involvement, stating, "You are remittance warriors. Why did you need to get involved in these ma" [1].

ISD confirmed the work permit cancellations and repatriations publicly on July 17, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].