Seoul – Police said in Seoul on Wednesday that they were questioning an illegal immigrant with Indonesian nationality who is suspected of following a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida.
The National Police Agency (NPA), said they arrested the 32-year old at his house in South Chungcheong Province on charges of violating the immigration control law and forging documents.
It, however, said the man was also suspected of supporting the al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaida, for months.
Police said the suspect came to South Korea on a forged passport in 2007 and that they found and confiscated a bowie knife, a model of an M16 rifle and a number of books on Islam fundamentalism at his home.
It said the suspect was found to have uploaded a video clip of himself waving the terrorist group’s flag at a local mountain on social media in April.
It said a photo of him wearing a cap with the group’s logo on it while at Gyeongbok Palace, an ancient palace and one of the hottest tourist destinations in downtown Seoul, was also uploaded last month.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
The police said they would continue the investigation to find out whether the suspect has accomplices who also sympathise with and support terrorism.
Lee Byong-ho, Head, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a parliamentary report that there are a dozen people in South Korea who have publicly expressed support for the Islamic State.
He said since 2010, 48 foreigners, who were either affiliated with international terrorist groups or posed security risks had been arrested and deported.
Byong-ho said one of them, also Indonesian, was known to have died after joining the Islamic State.
“So far, 200 Syrian refugees have arrived in South Korea through flights.
Byong-ho said 135 have received a humanitarian stay permit, a status that allowed its holder to legally work in the country, though no social insurance coverage is provided.
He said the ministry of justice is still screening them to see if they can stay here longer.
Byong-ho said the other 65 were still at the airport, without a temporary stay permit. (Yonhap/NAN)