17-year-old self-radicalised youth arrested, plotted terror attack in Singapore

A 17-year-old self-radicalised Singaporean was arrested by the Internal Security Department (ISD) just weeks before a planned terror attack on non-Muslims in Singapore.

Minister Shanmugam called it a very close shave, The youth had planned to stab his targets with a knife or scissors, and had gone as far as to practise the stabbing and conduct walkthroughs of the route to the location of the attack.

He was arrested in August, then issued a two-year detention order in September, The youth was discovered to be a staunch supporter of ISIS, and took a pledge of alliance to the terrorist group in May 2024

Online, he consumed pro-ISIS materials and videos of foreign radical preachers, despite advice from his parents to stop watching them.

He had initially planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS in armed violence, before deciding that an attack in Singapore would be easier to carry out.

According to the ISD, he aspired to a martyr for ISIS, and was determined to be killed by the police in the course of the attack.

Since 2015, there have been 10 other reported cases of self-radicalisation among youths 18 and under.

Five of them were detained for wanted to carry out attacks in Singapore using weapons like knives and scissors.

These individuals have been getting younger, with the youngest being a 14-year-old boy who was issued a restriction order by the ISD in July 2024.