SINGAPORE, June 12 — A 22-year-old infant care assistant who wanted to be an Islamic State “martyr’s widow” has become the first female to be detained in Singapore for radicalism, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today.

Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, who was detained this month under the Internal Security Act (ISA), had worked as a contract infant care assistant with the People’s Action Party Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots preschool.

The Singaporean started becoming radicalised in 2013, at the age of 18, by online propaganda related to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and had actively posted and shared pro-IS materials online, according to the MHA. Several of her social media platforms were taken down by site administrators because of the pro-IS content but she created new ones. In April, Izzah even boasted to a contact that the authorities in Singapore had not detected her.

She was supported the Islamic State (IS) use of violence and aspired to live in it. She was actively planning to make her way to Syria, with her young child in tow.

Believing that she would reap “heavenly rewards” if she married an IS fighter who died in battle, since 2015, she was looking for “a Salafi or an ISIS supporter” to marry and planned to settle down with him and her child in Syria.

She also felt with her “elevated status” as a “martyr’s widow”, she could easily marry another IS fighter in Syria. Izzah was also prepared to undergo military training and engage in armed combat for the extremist group.

Over time, she became more radicalised and developed a “wide” network of foreign contacts online, some of whom were IS militants and supporter who have been killed in Syria or have been arrested for terrorism-related activities, said the ministry.

The ministry did not reveal how Izzah’s activities were discovered but said her parents and sister had known of her radical online postings and intention of joining IS in Syria. They tried to dissuade her but were not successful, the MHA said, reiterating its call for the community and family members to help protect Singapore from the threat of terrorism.

The MHA last announced detentions related to support for IS in October last year. A 33-year-old Singaporean man was placed under a restriction order for intending to spread IS’ radical ideology.

Last August, four self-radicalised Singaporeans who engaged in terrorism-related activities were dealt with. From January 2015 to August last year, eight Singaporeans were been detained and five others placed on Restriction Orders. — TODAY