Singapore Authorities Detain 3 Self-Radicalised Men Planning Overseas Violence

All three Singaporeans were separately self-radicalised online and had made preparations to engage in armed violence overseas.

Singapore:Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) has detained three men who were allegedly self-radicalised online, triggered by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, and had made preparations to engage in armed violence overseas, according to a media report on Thursday.

The three detained were identified as 41-year-old Mohamad Latiff Rahim, director of a digital marketing company; 21-year-old lift mechanic Muhammad Indra Aqmal Effendy; and 44-year-old security guard Nurisham Yusoff.

“While their cases are not related, their radicalisation was either triggered or accelerated by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict,” the ISD was quoted as saying by Channel News Asia (CNA). All three Singaporeans were separately self-radicalised online and had made preparations to engage in armed violence overseas, the ISD said.

Each of the three men had taken steps to familiarise themselves with weapons, with one visiting a shooting range in Bangkok. They were arrested in October 2024. One of them was willing to carry out attacks in Singapore, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Ministry of Defence has confirmed that at the national level and within the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), security systems and processes have been put in place to screen for and detect personnel who may pose security threats.

It is a legitimate concern and security threat that national servicemen could use their skills learned in the SAF to commit criminal acts or acts of terrorism, the ministry said in a statement. National service in the defence forces is compulsory and mandatory for Singapore youths (males) for two years.