SINGAPORE: The Internal Security Department (ISD) revealed today (21 Feb) that two self-radicalised Singaporean teenagers have received orders under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for terrorism-related activities.
The boys were 15 and 16 when the ISA was used against them in November 2022 and January 2023, respectively.
The 15-year-old, a Secondary Three student at the time of his arrest, is the youngest to ever have been detained under the ISA.
Revealing that he had the idea last year to kill non-Muslims with a knife at a popular local tourist attraction and also had thoughts of being a suicide bomber after being exposed to terrorist propaganda online, ISD said:
“Investigations found that he was self-radicalised by online terrorist propaganda, and supportive of Al-Qaeda (AQ) and ISIS. He had considered conducting attacks in Singapore, and harboured the desire to establish an Islamic caliphate through violent means.”
As to how the youth became self-radicalized, ISD said: “In early 2022, the youth came across podcasts by foreign segregationist preacher, Ismail Menk, while searching for religious content online. He avidly consumed these materials, and subsequently went onto other social media platforms in search of more religious knowledge.
He was exposed to violent militant content including ISIS propaganda, and engaged in discussions with foreign personas who influenced him with their extremist beliefs. By mid-2022, he was deeply radicalised, having become convinced that armed violence was permissible against ‘disbelievers'”.
The ISD added that the young man had even considered travelling to Afghanistan and was willing to support any group that was seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate in Singapore or abroad, including participating in armed jihad, killing “disbelievers” or conducting suicide operations. He is said to have “viewed dying as a martyr to be the responsibility of all Muslims.”
Idolizing late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the 15-year-old went on to share pro-ISIS materials on his social media accounts and tried unsuccessfully to purchase an ISIS flag on e-commerce platforms in the latter half of 2022. He also tried unsuccessfully to convince two foreign online contacts to join him in undertaking armed violence.
ISD said, “Steeped in the belief that ‘disbelievers’ should be killed, in late 2022, the youth had considered conducting knife attacks to behead non-Muslims in popular tourist areas in Singapore. Apart from knife attacks, he also thought about being a suicide bomber, and fantasised about exploding himself.”
ISD said that the 15-year-old had yet to undertake any steps towards actualising his attack ideations at the time of his arrest.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old Secondary Four student was issued a restriction order under the ISA for similar ideations this January.
This youth first attracted security notice in November 2020 when he was only 14.
Like the 15-year-old, this youth “had an interest in far-right extremist content, including those which were anti-Semitic and supportive of neo-Nazi groups whose ideologies promoted a “race war”.”
ISD said it cautioned the boy to steer clear of extremist content online in 2020 when he was assessed to be vulnerable to radicalisation. The boy, however, did not take heed of this warning.
The authority said, “Despite being warned, the youth continued to imbibe ISIS propaganda and engaged in ISIS-related discussions with other social media users. Over time, he became convinced of ISIS’s legitimacy and supported ISIS’s goal of creating an Islamic caliphate through violence, including through the use of beheadings, shootings, and suicide bombings.
ISD said the youth joined multiple ISIS-themed servers on the online gaming platform Roblox, where the virtual game settings replicated physical ISIS conflict zones. He regarded himself as an ISIS member in these games and was proud of his roles as the “spokesperson” and “chief propagandist” for his in-game ISIS faction.
He eventually created and uploaded three ISIS propaganda videos onto social media between late 2021 and early 2022.
The ISD said both youths were online contacts of an 18-year-old Singaporean, Muhammad Irfan Danyal bin Mohamad Nor, who was detained under the ISA in December 2022. While all three individuals were self-radicalised separately, they subsequently became acquainted through the same extremist social media channel.
While the trio had never met, they shared their radical beliefs and support for terrorist groups in their private conversations online. ISD reported that the trio’s family members were unaware of their radical views or support for armed violence.
Since 2015, ISD has dealt with 11 self-radicalised Singaporean youths aged 20 or below under the ISA, all radicalised online. Working with the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group (ACG), the authority provides religious counselling, sessions with psychologists, social support, and community welfare assistance for detainees.
The ISD has also revealed that it will work closely with the schools of both teenagers to lessen any impact on their education. The 15-year-old has been provided with his school’s curriculum and study materials to ensure he can continue with his studies whilst in detention. ISD has also assigned him tutors who will prepare him for his national examinations.
The 16-year-old under supervision will also be supported by his school principal, school counsellor and form teacher, who will closely monitor his behaviour and progress while in school.
Both boys will also undergo intensive religious counselling to address the religious misconceptions that led to his support for armed violence and terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda. They will also be exposed to programmes aimed at sensitising them to the threat of terrorism and extremism.
ISD case officers will engage the youths regularly to guide them, while ISD psychologists will also work with them to address factors such as their lack of critical thinking in evaluating the information they consume online and their permissive attitudes towards violence.
Both youths’ families are reportedly closely involved in their rehabilitation. The 16-year-old under supervision has been assigned a mentor, while the 15-year-old detainee is allowed regular family visits to help him focus on his rehabilitation while in detention.