Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Internal Security Department

The Star

4 days ago

SINGAPORE: A volatile global landscape arising from developments like the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to drive the high terrorism threat in Singapore, said the Internal Security Department (ISD).
It released its annual report on terrorism on Tuesday (July 29), saying terrorist organisations have exploited situations like the one in Gaza to spread propaganda, using them to reinforce their violent narratives.
ISD said ISIS and Al-Qaeda have incited attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, and those of nations seen as supporting Israel.
This has corresponded with an increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide and in Islamophobia overseas, it added.
ISD said there is currently no specific intelligence about an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore.
But the country continues to be viewed as an attractive target by terrorists because of its friendly relations with Western nations and Israel, and its status as a secular and multicultural state.
Since its last report in July 2024, ISD has dealt with eight self-radicalised Singaporeans: six males and two females aged 15 to 56.
Four of them had been influenced by the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people.
Of the other four cases, two were radicalised by pro-ISIS extremist ideologies and two by violent far-right extremism.
ISD warned that ISIS is resilient and remains one of the world's largest Islamist terrorist organisations. It has cash reserves of around $12.9 million and has between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
The department said that far-right extremism ideologies have gained ground in Singapore, especially among the youth.
Since 2020, four youths have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for subscribing to such ideologies.
Two of them, aged 18 and 17, had been self-radicalised separately after becoming inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. The shooter, Brenton Tarrant, murdered 51 Muslims and live-streamed the killings.
Both teens idolised Tarrant and identified as East Asian supremacists, believing in the superiority of Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities.
The 17-year-old had identified five mosques in Jurong West, Clementi, Margaret Drive, Admiralty Road and Beach Road as potential targets and planned to kill at least 100 Muslims as they were leaving after Friday prayers.
He had been influenced by anti-Semitic content online and fantasised about killing Jews, but did not have any concrete attack plans.
ISD said an increasing variety of online platforms used by youth in self-radicalisation cases here is also of concern.
It said self-radicalisation remains a key domestic terrorism threat, with 60 self-radicalised people issued orders under the ISA since 2015. Of these, 48 were Singaporeans.
Singapore adopts a whole-of-society approach to counter extremism, combining preventive measures such as public outreach with rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.
ISD works with government agencies and grassroots and community partners to conduct outreach across different segments of society, to raise public awareness on the threat of terrorism and online radicalisation.
It stressed the importance of knowing how to spot signs of radicalisation and the need to report at-risk individuals early.
Some of these signs include expressing support for terrorist groups online, frequent surfing of radical websites and making remarks that promote ill will or hatred towards people of other races, religions or communities.
ISD said public vigilance is critical to combating the terrorism threat, and early reporting enables the person to receive timely help.
This maximises the chances of the individual's successful rehabilitation before he or she becomes more deeply rooted in radical ideologies.
Since 2002, ISD has issued ISA orders against 148 Singaporeans for terrorism-related conduct. Of these, 102 were issued orders of detention, while 46 were issued restriction orders.
Of those detained, about four out of five detainees had made good progress in their rehabilitation, leading to 85 of them being released. Of those issued with restriction orders, 39 have had their orders lapse.
ISD said most of these Singaporeans have found stable jobs since their release.
It said countering terrorism is everyone's responsibility. 'The ever-evolving threat of terrorism is real and demands unwavering vigilance, cooperation and resilience from every sector of society.'
It added that 'every action taken, every report made and every initiative launched' bring Singapore one step closer to a safer, more united nation.
Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the SGSecure movement and learn how to spot suspicious behaviours and signs of radicalisation, and how to respond if caught in a terror attack.
Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has been radicalised should call the ISD hotline on 1800-2626-473 or e-mail [e-mail]
- The Straits Times/ANN