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Aspiring to become a martyr, the teen was “determined to be killed by the police or passer-bys during the attack”.
Just before the attack, he planned to release a statement of armed jihad to other Muslims.
This, he hoped, would spur them to action against non-Muslims.
Planned to fight in Syria
Prior to this, the youth had begun planning to travel to Syria, join ISIS, and engage in armed violence.
While he did not have a specific timeline for this, he had reached out to an online foreign contact based in Syria for travel advice, and researched flight routes to Syria.
He was against National Service, as it would entail him serving a secular government, but saw it as a potential way to equip himself with military and combat skills.
He then hoped to use these skills to fight in Syria.
This plan, he believed, was an “important and meaningful endeavour” as it would allow him to fight and die alongside his fellow ISIS fighters.
But as travelling to Syria would have aroused suspicion from his family, he decided to carry out the Singapore attack instead as he believed it would be easier.
He also actively shared radical materials on his social media accounts, which he hoped would influence his followers into hating non-Muslims.
Fortunately, an investigation by ISD revealed that he was unsuccessful in radicalising his followers or contacts, and ultimately acted alone.
Youth radicalisation
As instances of self-radicalisation continue to take place around the world, early reporting is key, Shanmugam said.
"In this case, the young boy’s parents noticed that he was watching videos by foreign preachers. They advised him not to watch those videos," he said.
"When he did not listen, an option would have been to alert the authorities."
If a report is made early enough, detention may not be necessary. With young people, other interventions — like religious counselling — are real options, he added.
In this case, the teen was detained due to the extent of the radicalisation and the closeness to the carrying out of his plans.
But even this is not the end of the road.
"We've had young people who have continued their education, and passed their exams while under detention," Shanmugam said.
"So we try and rehabilitate, get them on to their life, and the aim must be — and [the] aim is — to have them released at some point. The sooner the better, go back into society, get a job, have a family, fulfil their potential, do whatever they want to do."
Staying vigilant
ISD noted that five self-radicalised youths, who wanted to carry out attacks against Singapore using “simple and easily accessible” weapons, have been detained since 2020.
Overseas, self-radicalisation has also taken place. In August 2024, following multiple stabbing incidents in Sydney, the Australia government raised its terror threat level from "possible" to "probable".
It cited "an increase in extremism, fuelled by conspiracy theories and anti-authority ideologies".
Shanmugam called for members of the public to be “vigilant” in looking out for signs of radicalisation in others.
He noted that there have been cases where teachers, parents, and family members have made reports, and cases of self-radicalisation were identified as a result.
Commenting on the connection between the conflict in Gaza and the teen's radicalisation, Shanmugam said extremist narratives are "everywhere, relating to developments overseas".
He said the teen's case shows how even groups like ISIS, which are not directly involved with the Israel-Hamas conflict, "can and will take advantage of the conflict to recruit and radicalise others".
He also acknowledged that youths in Singapore may feel strongly about the situation in Gaza, there are ways they can "make a difference".
These include participating in dialogues, events, and relief efforts to Gaza.
Ways to help
ISD listed some possible signs of radicalisation, as follows:
Frequently surfing radical websites
Posting/sharing extremist views on social media, such as expressing support/admiration for terrorists/terrorist groups and the use of violence
Sharing extremist views with friends and relatives
Making remarks that promote ill-will or hatred towards people of other races, religions or communities
Expressing intent to participate in acts of violence overseas or in Singapore
Inciting others to participate in acts of violence
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18-Oct 2024 Friday
3:30 PM (8 days ago)
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