SINGAPORE, Oct 19 — A 17-year-old Singaporean supporter of terror group ISIS was arrested just weeks before he could carry out his plan to kill non-Muslims in Tampines said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday.
The youth from a mainstream school, had planned to carry out his attack during the September school holidays and had practised stabbing motions with a pair of scissors.
He was arrested in August under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
The teenager had traced his steps from his home to an open area in Tampines Street 81, near supermarkets, provision shops and coffee shops, a children’s art school and a tuition centre, where he had planned to stab non-Muslim men.
The teenager chose the HDB heartland area near Tampines West Community Club as it was crowded and near his home.
In a press statement yesterday as reported by The Straits Times, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said he was issued a two-year order of detention in September.
The minor had also planned to travel to Syria to fight, said ISD, after having gotten in touch with an online foreign contact for travel advice and researched flight routes, to go fight and die with fellow ISIS fighters to establish an Islamic state in Syria.
Knowing it would be difficult to travel to Syria without arousing the suspicions of his family, he decided to strike closer to home, feeling it would be easier to carry out and fulfil his aspirations to be a martyr.
Shanmugam said thousands of people walk through the area daily, and it would have been more crowded during the school holidays.
“He knew that he would be intercepted by the agencies, the police. He had made up his mind to die in the course of the attack. He wanted to become a martyr.
“I would say this was a very close shave. It is very fortunate that ISD arrested him in time.”
Compared with past cases, this was one of the plans that came closest to being carried out said the Minister.
“It is very easy to attack people here. People are defenceless. They are not coming here expecting to be attacked.
“People go around in Singapore feeling safe, so you could easily have gone on a rampage and killed a lot of people around here.
“Look at the kind of people who are around. Kids are playing, senior citizens are resting. They are easy targets for such an attacker.”
ISD said the youth came across the teachings of foreign radical preachers in August 2023 while searching for religious knowledge online and embraced segregationist religious beliefs, including the view that Muslims should not extend festive greetings to non-Muslims.
Following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, with the increase of online extremist materials by ISIS, he became self-radicalised and joined online groups that provided updates on ISIS activities, and believed in the use of armed violence to establish an Islamic caliphate.
By January, he aspired to die as a martyr while fighting for the group.
In May, he took a bai’ah or pledge of allegiance to ISIS in his room.
Besides the pair of scissors, he considered using a kitchen knife in his home to stab people in the neck to kill or wound them.
“He felt a sense of pride knowing that his planned attack, if successfully executed, would be the first terrorist attack in Singapore in recent decades,” stated ISD.
The teen had also crafted a declaration of armed jihad against non-Muslims, which he planned to release before his attack, to inspire other Muslims to engage in armed violence.
It was reported that the youth, though against national service — as he did not wish to serve a secular or infidel government — still planned to complete it, as he saw it as a way to equip himself with military and combat skills to help him fight in Syria.
He downloaded materials from an extremist magazine that contained tips on planning an attack or conducting a roadside ambush.
ISD said the youth actively shared radical materials promoting armed jihad with followers of his social media accounts, and wanted to influence them into hating non-Muslims and killing them.
It also said the teen acted alone and was unsuccessful in radicalising his followers or contacts.
While his family and friends were unaware of his plans, his parents had noticed he was watching videos of foreign preachers, adviseing him against consuming such materials as they were unacceptable here.
He ignored them and used code words and virtual private networks to hide his activities when discussing his radical beliefs online.
In a Facebook post, the MP for the area, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, said he was sad and shocked at the news of the arrest.
Masagos, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, said everyone should do their part and look out for telltale signs if they suspect someone may have been radicalised.
“This lone-wolf case is a reminder for all of us to remain vigilant. We must also be prepared.”
Since 2015, 14 self-radicalised Singaporeans aged 20 and below have been dealt with under ISA, including the 17-year-old.
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