The 27 Bangladeshi men who were arrested under Singapore’s Internal Security Act were described as subscribing to the extremist beliefs and teachings of “radical idealogues” such as Anwar Awlaki. In December, the Counter Extremism Project, an advocacy group based in Washington, called on YouTube and other platforms to permanently ban Awlaki’s material, including his early, mainstream lectures. “His work has inspired countless plots and attacks,” said Mr Mark D Wallace, a former diplomat and homeland security official who is the project’s chief executive. “It’s hate speech. It should come down, period. Like child porn, it should be expeditiously removed.”