- Three Singaporean teens aged 14 to 19 were detained under the Internal Security Act for planning violent extremist attacks inspired by ISIS and mass shooters.
- The 14-year-old planned a school stabbing with a detailed manifesto, influenced by online violent content and bullying; two others targeted SAF personnel, LGBTQ students, and sought to use bombs.
- The second case involved a 19-year-old who hatched plans to carry out knife attacks against Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel at Sembawang Air Base and LGBTQ students in the tertiary educational institution he attended.
- The third student, a 15-year-old student in Secondary 4, aspired to carry out an attack in Singapore using pressure-cooker bombs, viewing the Republic as an enemy of ISIS.
- ISD stated that the three youths harboured a strong resolve to enact violence and were at varying stages of their attack plans or preparations when they were arrested, emphasizing the severity of the youth radicalisation threat in Singapore.
- More than half of the 23 youths dealt with under the ISA in the past decade had intended to mount attacks in Singapore, according to ISD.
- In all three cases, the boys had shared their extremist views with those around them, as noted by Shanmugam.
Three Singaporean teens, aged 14 to 19, were detained under the Internal Security Act for planning violent extremist attacks inspired by ISIS. The Internal Security Department (ISD) revealed that one teen, a Secondary 2 student, idolised mass shooters and aimed to carry out a mass stabbing at his school during the June holidays.1
The 14-year-old had created a detailed manifesto and was influenced by online violent content and experiences of bullying. Meanwhile, the other two teens targeted Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel and LGBTQ students, with intentions to use bombs in their attacks.23
ISD emphasized that the three youths showed a strong resolve to enact violence and were at various stages of their attack plans when arrested. They stated, 'These three cases drive home the severity of the youth radicalisation threat in Singapore.'5
In the past decade, more than half of the 23 youths dealt with under the ISA had intended to mount attacks in Singapore, highlighting a concerning trend. In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on July 27 that police have issued disabling directions against an online service provider and two access-blocking directions to internet service providers to combat terrorism-related content accessible in Singapore.6
“The Internal Security Department revealed that the 14-year-old had a detailed manifesto for a mass stabbing at his school, influenced by online content and bullying. Additionally, over half of the 23 youths dealt with under the Internal Security Act in the past decade intended to mount attacks in Singapore.”
