SINGAPORE: A Singaporean student who was detained in December 2020 for making "detailed plans and preparations to conduct terrorist attacks" against Muslims has been released after "good progress" in his rehabilitation, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Wednesday (Jan 24).
The 19-year-old, who was 16 when he was detained, was the first Singaporean to be dealt with under the country's Internal Security Act (ISA) for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies.
He had planned to use a machete to attack Muslims at two mosques in the Woodlands area on Mar 15, 2020, the second anniversary of New Zealand's Christchurch attacks.
The two mosques were Assyafaah Mosque and Yusof Ishak Mosque, which he chose as targets because they were near his home.
The youth, who was not named, is a Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity. He was also the youngest person to be dealt with under the ISA for terrorism-related activities, ISD said at the time.
ISD said the self-radicalised teen was "motivated by a strong antipathy towards Islam and a fascination with violence".
He had been influenced by the 2019 terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch and read the manifesto of the attacker, Brenton Tarrant.
Following three years of detention, ISD said the youth was released and issued with a suspension direction as he had made "good progress in his rehabilitation" and was "assessed to no longer pose an imminent security threat".
A suspension direction is a ministerial direction to suspend an existing detention order. The suspension direction may be revoked and the individual will be re-detained if he does not comply with any of the stipulated conditions.
The conditions include prohibition from associating with any militant or terrorist groups or individuals, and the person is not allowed to leave the country without approval.
Carousell listing of a machete that the youth intended to purchase for the attacks. (Photo: ISD)
The youth underwent an intensive rehabilitation programme during his three years in detention, ISD said.
"He has been receptive to these efforts, and has since rejected far-right extremist ideas and the use of violence.
"He no longer harbours any animosity towards Muslims, and has internalised the importance of racial and religious harmony in Singapore," it added.
To address his extremist mindset, which included the misguided belief that Christians were under attack by Muslims, ISD said it worked with the National Council of Churches of Singapore to arrange for a Christian pastor to counsel the youth.
Through the sessions, he was taught to embrace "virtues of non-violence and temperance, and to appreciate inter-faith harmony" as well as to exercise tolerance and moderation when practising his faith in Singapore.
He was also regularly engaged by an ISD psychologist to address his "permissive attitude towards violence" as well as the socio-psychological factors that contributed to his radicalisation.
These included his self-esteem issues and strong desire for social validation, which made him want to emulate Tarrant, whom he idolised as a "hero".
The youth was also assigned three mentors – two volunteers from the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and his former secondary school teacher – who helped him improve his self-esteem and overcome the challenges he faced when relating to others.
His family also played a key role in his rehabilitation, as their weekly visits and words of encouragement motivated him to stay on track, ISD said.
A Secondary 4 student at the time of his detention, ISD made arrangements for him to continue his education and sit for the GCE N (Academic) Level and GCE O-Level examinations.
In the lead-up to his exams, he received weekly lessons from at least five tutors, including Ministry of Education-trained teachers who are RRG volunteers.
“He did well for his examinations and intends to further his studies in an Institute of Higher Learning after his release.”
“ISD will continue to work with his family, school, and other rehabilitation stakeholders to ease his reintegration into society,” it said.
ISD also said on Wednesday that a 16-year-old Singaporean was issued with a restriction order in November 2023 for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies. The youth, who aspired to conduct attacks overseas, identified as a white supremacist although he was of Chinese ethnicity.
Those issued with restriction orders cannot travel out of Singapore or change addresses or jobs without approval. They also cannot access the Internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute or contribute to any publication without approval.
He is the second Singaporean to be dealt with under the ISA for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies.
ISD said the teen was exposed to violent extremist material online in 2022, after chancing upon videos by far-right personality Paul Nicholas Miller, who is an American far-right political commentator and white supremacist.
By early 2023, he had developed an "intense hatred" of communities typically targeted by far-right extremists, including African Americans, Arabs and LGBTQ+ individuals.
He had also considered travelling to countries such as France, Italy, the US, and Russia to participate in attacks against his "vilified communities". Specifically, he shared his interest in conducting a mass shooting in the US in 10 years’ time in a far-right online chat group.
"However, beyond online searches for weapons, he did not take steps to actualise his attack aspirations as he lacked the financial resources and know-how to do so. The youth had no plans to conduct any attacks locally, as he felt that these communities had not caused trouble in Singapore," ISD said.
"There was no indication that the youth had tried to influence his family or friends with his violent extremist views, nor were they aware of his attack ideations."
While far-right extremist ideologies have not gained a significant foothold in Singapore, the cases of these two youths serve as a reminder that Singaporeans are not immune to such ideologies, and that there is a need to maintain vigilance, ISD said.
Far-right ideologies, which often espouse white supremacist, anti-Islam, xenophobic and anti-immigration beliefs, can be adapted to fit the Singaporean landscape.
"One example is by advocating for the superiority of specific communities, through the lens of cultural, ethno-religious, or nationalist supremacy," ISD said.
"Far-right extremist rhetoric promotes an 'us-versus-them' narrative, 'them' being members of other communities who are perceived to be the enemy. Such divisive rhetoric can create deep societal divides, amplify prejudices, and encourage acts of violence towards minorities or 'out-groups'."
ISD said the government takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of hate speech, regardless of the ideology or justification.
ISD said possible signs of radicalisation include:
Those who know or suspect that a person has been radicalised should promptly contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline at 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD).
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The 19-year-old, who was 16 when he was detained, was the first Singaporean to be dealt with under the country's Internal Security Act (ISA) for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies.
He had planned to use a machete to attack Muslims at two mosques in the Woodlands area on Mar 15, 2020, the second anniversary of New Zealand's Christchurch attacks.
The two mosques were Assyafaah Mosque and Yusof Ishak Mosque, which he chose as targets because they were near his home.
The youth, who was not named, is a Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity. He was also the youngest person to be dealt with under the ISA for terrorism-related activities, ISD said at the time.
ISD said the self-radicalised teen was "motivated by a strong antipathy towards Islam and a fascination with violence".
He had been influenced by the 2019 terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch and read the manifesto of the attacker, Brenton Tarrant.
Following three years of detention, ISD said the youth was released and issued with a suspension direction as he had made "good progress in his rehabilitation" and was "assessed to no longer pose an imminent security threat".
A suspension direction is a ministerial direction to suspend an existing detention order. The suspension direction may be revoked and the individual will be re-detained if he does not comply with any of the stipulated conditions.
The conditions include prohibition from associating with any militant or terrorist groups or individuals, and the person is not allowed to leave the country without approval.
Carousell listing of a machete that the youth intended to purchase for the attacks. (Photo: ISD)
INTENSIVE REHABILITATION PROGRAMME
The youth underwent an intensive rehabilitation programme during his three years in detention, ISD said.
"He has been receptive to these efforts, and has since rejected far-right extremist ideas and the use of violence.
"He no longer harbours any animosity towards Muslims, and has internalised the importance of racial and religious harmony in Singapore," it added.
To address his extremist mindset, which included the misguided belief that Christians were under attack by Muslims, ISD said it worked with the National Council of Churches of Singapore to arrange for a Christian pastor to counsel the youth.
Through the sessions, he was taught to embrace "virtues of non-violence and temperance, and to appreciate inter-faith harmony" as well as to exercise tolerance and moderation when practising his faith in Singapore.
He was also regularly engaged by an ISD psychologist to address his "permissive attitude towards violence" as well as the socio-psychological factors that contributed to his radicalisation.
These included his self-esteem issues and strong desire for social validation, which made him want to emulate Tarrant, whom he idolised as a "hero".
The youth was also assigned three mentors – two volunteers from the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and his former secondary school teacher – who helped him improve his self-esteem and overcome the challenges he faced when relating to others.
His family also played a key role in his rehabilitation, as their weekly visits and words of encouragement motivated him to stay on track, ISD said.
A Secondary 4 student at the time of his detention, ISD made arrangements for him to continue his education and sit for the GCE N (Academic) Level and GCE O-Level examinations.
In the lead-up to his exams, he received weekly lessons from at least five tutors, including Ministry of Education-trained teachers who are RRG volunteers.
“He did well for his examinations and intends to further his studies in an Institute of Higher Learning after his release.”
“ISD will continue to work with his family, school, and other rehabilitation stakeholders to ease his reintegration into society,” it said.
Related:
IMPORTATION OF FAR-RIGHT EXTREMIST IDEOLOGIES
ISD also said on Wednesday that a 16-year-old Singaporean was issued with a restriction order in November 2023 for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies. The youth, who aspired to conduct attacks overseas, identified as a white supremacist although he was of Chinese ethnicity.
Those issued with restriction orders cannot travel out of Singapore or change addresses or jobs without approval. They also cannot access the Internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute or contribute to any publication without approval.
He is the second Singaporean to be dealt with under the ISA for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies.
ISD said the teen was exposed to violent extremist material online in 2022, after chancing upon videos by far-right personality Paul Nicholas Miller, who is an American far-right political commentator and white supremacist.
By early 2023, he had developed an "intense hatred" of communities typically targeted by far-right extremists, including African Americans, Arabs and LGBTQ+ individuals.
He had also considered travelling to countries such as France, Italy, the US, and Russia to participate in attacks against his "vilified communities". Specifically, he shared his interest in conducting a mass shooting in the US in 10 years’ time in a far-right online chat group.
"However, beyond online searches for weapons, he did not take steps to actualise his attack aspirations as he lacked the financial resources and know-how to do so. The youth had no plans to conduct any attacks locally, as he felt that these communities had not caused trouble in Singapore," ISD said.
"There was no indication that the youth had tried to influence his family or friends with his violent extremist views, nor were they aware of his attack ideations."
While far-right extremist ideologies have not gained a significant foothold in Singapore, the cases of these two youths serve as a reminder that Singaporeans are not immune to such ideologies, and that there is a need to maintain vigilance, ISD said.
Far-right ideologies, which often espouse white supremacist, anti-Islam, xenophobic and anti-immigration beliefs, can be adapted to fit the Singaporean landscape.
"One example is by advocating for the superiority of specific communities, through the lens of cultural, ethno-religious, or nationalist supremacy," ISD said.
"Far-right extremist rhetoric promotes an 'us-versus-them' narrative, 'them' being members of other communities who are perceived to be the enemy. Such divisive rhetoric can create deep societal divides, amplify prejudices, and encourage acts of violence towards minorities or 'out-groups'."
ISD said the government takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of hate speech, regardless of the ideology or justification.
Signs of radicalisation
ISD said possible signs of radicalisation include:
- Frequently surfing radical websites
- Posting/sharing extremist views on social media platforms, such as expressing support or admiration for terrorists/terrorist groups as well as the use of violence
- Sharing extremist views with friends and relatives
- Making remarks that promote ill-will or hatred towards people of other races or religions
- Expressing intent to participate in acts of violence overseas or in Singapore
- Inciting others to participate in acts of violence.
Those who know or suspect that a person has been radicalised should promptly contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre hotline at 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD).
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Continue reading...