Singapore arrests two teenagers under security law for extremist plans

Authorities warn of youth radicalization as 17 under-21s faced action since 2015, allowing detention or restrictions

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Singapore has detained two teenagers under its Internal Security Act (ISA) over separate extremist plots, authorities announced on Wednesday. One had planned to attack mosques, while the other sought to join Daesh militants in Syria.

A 17-year-old male, identified as subscribing to far-right extremist ideology, was detained in March. Authorities said he saw himself as an "East Asian supremacist" and had planned to carry out a mass shooting at mosques, aiming to kill at least 100 Muslims. He had attempted, unsuccessfully, to acquire firearms from the United States, Malaysia, and Thailand. Officials said he was inspired by the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, in which 51 worshippers were killed.

The teenager was detected following investigations into an 18-year-old detained in December for similar far-right extremism. Under Singapore’s ISA, he can be held for up to two years without trial.

Authorities have raised concerns over youth radicalisation, noting that 17 young individuals aged 20 and under have been dealt with under the ISA since 2015. The law allows for indefinite detention without trial or, alternatively, restriction orders that impose limits on travel and internet access.

Of those detained over the past decade, nine had plotted attacks within Singapore, a multi-racial nation where 74% of residents are Chinese, 13.6% Malay, 9% Indian, and 3.3% classified as other, according to official statistics.

The second teenager, a 15-year-old female, was issued a restriction order in February after authorities found she had planned to travel to Syria to fight for Daesh or marry a militant and raise a pro-Daesh family.

“Self-radicalisation can happen very quickly. In the case of the 15-year-old, it only took weeks. It is thus critical that the public be vigilant to signs that someone around us may have become radicalised,” said the Internal Security Department.

Singapore remains vigilant in countering extremist threats and has implemented various initiatives to prevent radicalisation, including public education campaigns and rehabilitation programmes for detainees.