An Indonesian radio station Monday, August 22, denied airing extremist sermons after Singapore linked it to the radicalization of two men detained in the city-state who allegedly planned to join the Islamic State group.
Singapore announced last week that Rosli bin Hamzah, 50, and Mohamed Omar bin Mahadi, 33, were being held under a tough internal security law after authorities discovered they intended to travel to Syria to fight for IS.
Several years ago the Singaporean men started listening to Radio Hang, based on the Indonesian island of Batam just south of Singapore, according to the city-state's Ministry of Home Affairs.
The station "sometimes features speakers who preach extreme religious views", the ministry said, and the pair went on to read more radical material about IS which fueled their desire to join the jihadists.