SINGAPORE: Three Singaporean youths who separately embraced violent extremist ideologies online have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) after making preparations for attacks in Singapore, according to the Internal Security Department (ISD).
The three cases are unrelated, but investigators found a troubling pattern. All three young men became self-radicalised through material they found online, adopted violent beliefs, and moved beyond ideology into planning attacks. Their ages of 14, 15, and 19 also underscore a trend that security agencies have been warning about: people are becoming radicalised at a younger age.
The ISD said the detention orders were issued separately in April, May and June 2026. The agency added that timely intervention prevented the planned attacks from being carried out. (Internal Security Department, 27 July 2026).
Three unrelated cases reveal a common path to radicalisation
Although each youth followed a different path into extremism, investigators found that all three relied heavily on online content that promoted violence.
One was a 15-year-old Secondary Four student influenced by ISIS propaganda and other extremist narratives linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Another was 19-year-old tertiary student Tan Jun Jie, who supported ISIS and planned attacks against Singapore Armed Forces personnel and LGBTQ students while also attempting cyberattacks against Muslim organisations.
The youngest, a 14-year-old Secondary Two student, absorbed a mix of ISIS propaganda, far-right beliefs and mass-shooter ideology before preparing a stabbing attack at his school.
ISD said all three had already taken steps towards violence before they were arrested. Those preparations included researching homemade explosives, identifying weapons and considering potential targets.
A 15-year-old planned violence in the name of ISIS
The youngest named in the first case cannot be identified because he is a minor.
According to ISD, his radicalisation began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. As he searched online for information about the conflict, he encountered extremist material that encouraged support for terrorist groups.
His online activity gradually shifted from following news about the conflict to embracing violent extremist ideology. Investigators said he developed admiration for ISIS and supported armed groups fighting Israel, viewing violence as justified.
He even considered travelling to Gaza in 2024 to join Hamas, although he abandoned the idea because he lacked the means to do so. Instead, he promoted violent messages through social media, including encouraging others to take up armed violence for the Palestinian cause.
Over time, the teenager’s beliefs broadened beyond support for overseas conflicts. He became convinced that an Islamic caliphate should be established through violence and eventually envisioned creating what he called a “Malaya Caliphate” across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
To advance that ambition, he searched online for bomb-making information, created social media groups to spread pro-ISIS material and even designed a flag representing his imagined caliphate, which his mother unknowingly helped print after he told her it was connected to support for Palestine.
Plans shifted from overseas conflict to Singapore
By late 2025, investigators said the youth publicly pledged allegiance to ISIS on social media and regarded himself as part of the terrorist organisation.
He hoped to travel to Syria or Iraq to fight alongside ISIS and even intended to use his future National Service training to gain firearms skills and physical preparation before eventually joining the group overseas. Although he had no fixed timeline, he researched flights and overseas shooting ranges while continuing to consume ISIS propaganda.
His ambitions later turned towards Singapore. ISD said he concluded that countries identifying ISIS as a terrorist organisation were legitimate targets. He began researching pressure-cooker bombs after watching material related to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and also searched for ingredients used in homemade explosives.
When officers arrested him, he had not yet selected a specific target or attack date. However, investigators said he had already imagined carrying out an attack in an urban area that would cause multiple civilian deaths.
ISD also noted that while the teenager claimed he hadn’t openly discussed his attack plans, relatives and friends appeared aware of his extremist beliefs but did not alert the authorities.
Tan Jun Jie planned attacks at home and abroad
The oldest of the three detainees, 19-year-old tertiary student Tan Jun Jie, followed a different path into violent extremism but reached a similar destination.
A Muslim convert, Tan began practising Islam in 2022 after being introduced to the religion through social media. ISD said his online activity later exposed him to extremist teachings from foreign preachers before he embraced ISIS ideology.
By early 2026, he regarded himself as an ISIS member and believed he should carry out any task the group required, including attacks in Singapore.
Tan first explored travelling overseas to fight. He considered joining Hamas in Gaza under the guise of humanitarian work but abandoned the plan after deciding it was impractical.
He then shifted his attention to Somalia, where he hoped to fight alongside an ISIS affiliate. To prepare, he searched for flights and researched bomb-making techniques before eventually accepting that he might instead launch attacks in Singapore if he couldn’t leave the country.
Investigators said Tan developed two separate attack plans. One targeted Singapore Armed Forces personnel stationed at Sembawang Air Base, whom he viewed as serving a secular government. The other targeted LGBTQ students at his school because he regarded them as violating his religious beliefs.
ISD said he prioritised the military target because he believed dying during such an attack would earn greater religious reward.
To prepare, Tan researched knife-fighting techniques and identified a knife with a 10-centimetre blade that he intended to buy from a local hardware store. Although he had not fixed a date, investigators said he was ready to act if he failed to travel overseas.
ISD also uncovered violent fantasies directed at people he knew personally. While preparing food at home, Tan imagined using a kitchen cleaver to kill Muslim acquaintances who disagreed with his extremist beliefs.
Those acquaintances later alerted the authorities after becoming concerned by his behaviour and comments, allowing investigators to intervene before any violence occurred.
First ISA detainee linked to extremist cyberattacks
Tan’s case also broke new ground in another way. ISD said he became the first self-radicalised individual dealt with under the ISA to attempt cyberattacks in support of extremist beliefs.
During 2025, he launched Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks against the websites of several local and overseas Muslim organisations that he considered “deviant”.
He downloaded malware to carry out the attacks and even recorded a spoken declaration explaining his actions. He eventually decided not to release the recording after concluding the websites had remained accessible.
The Singapore Police Force is separately investigating him for possible offences under the Computer Misuse Act.
A 14-year-old built a school attack plan
The youngest detainee was just 14 years old, making him the youngest person detained under the ISA.
ISD said his radicalisation didn’t stem from a single ideology. Instead, he absorbed a mixture of ISIS propaganda, far-right beliefs, neo-Nazi narratives and admiration for mass shooters, becoming Singapore’s first detention involving Composite Violent Extremism, or CoVE.
His journey began in 2024 while playing first-person shooter games on Roblox that recreated real-life school shootings. Curious about the incidents behind those games, he searched online and became immersed in videos, gore footage and online communities that glorified mass violence.
According to ISD, the teenager identified with several school shooters after claiming he had also experienced bullying. He repeatedly imagined himself carrying out similar attacks while playing games or watching violent videos online.
Multiple extremist beliefs merged into one attack plan
The teenager’s online activity expanded well beyond violent gaming content. After encountering material about the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in the United States, he began admiring ISIS supporter Omar Mateen and later embraced ISIS propaganda.
He shared pro-ISIS videos with friends and classmates, although none became radicalised through his efforts. At the same time, he consumed neo-Nazi and far-right content, developing anti-Semitic views and expressing support for white supremacist beliefs.
ISD said he combined these conflicting ideologies into a personal belief system that justified violence against people he blamed for his grievances. Those beliefs eventually developed into detailed plans for a mass-casualty attack at his own secondary school.
Driven by resentment over bullying and academic pressure, the teenager selected non-Muslim teachers and students as targets. He planned to strike during the June 2026 school holidays, believing fewer staff members would be around to stop him, and identified days when intended victims would be in school for co-curricular activities.
He initially explored using firearms before abandoning the idea because of Singapore’s strict gun laws. He then researched homemade explosives but concluded he lacked the money and a suitable place to build them.
Instead, he settled on using knives that were already available at home after repeatedly watching ISIS execution and stabbing videos online.
The planning didn’t stop there. He intended to livestream the attack, modelled parts of his plan on previous overseas mass shooters, searched online for tactical clothing, and prepared to declare allegiance to ISIS during the assault before taking his own life.
In January 2026, he completed a 21-page manifesto titled A Call to Action, setting out his intended targets, weapons and attack sequence. The document also encouraged others who felt bullied to answer violence with violence.
ISD said the teenager admitted he would have carried out the attack if officers hadn’t arrested him in May 2026, one month before his planned assault. The agency said someone at his school recognised warning signs and alerted the authorities, preventing what it described as a “close shave”.
ISD warns that youth radicalisation is becoming younger and more dangerous
Beyond the individual cases, ISD said the three detentions point to a broader security concern.
All three youths had moved beyond holding extremist beliefs. They had identified weapons, researched bomb-making techniques and taken practical steps towards carrying out attacks before they were arrested.
The agency said more than half of the 23 youths dealt with under the ISA over the past decade, including these three, had intended to launch attacks in Singapore. It also noted that those being radicalised are getting younger. The 14-year-old in this case is the youngest person ever detained under the ISA.
ISD also pointed out that all three youths had chosen weapons that were easy to obtain, such as knives, while searching online for information about homemade explosives. Investigators were able to intervene before those plans could progress further.
Violent online content is becoming a common pathway
The department said the cases illustrate how easily young people can encounter extremist material online.
Repeated exposure to violent videos, graphic content and games that recreate real-life attacks can make violence seem more acceptable over time. Once that happens, extremist propaganda can become more persuasive, especially for youths trying to make sense of personal grievances or global conflicts.
ISD also highlighted how the internet provides ready access to practical information. All three youths searched online for bomb-making material, while two of them learnt knife techniques from ISIS propaganda videos. Tan’s attempted cyberattacks also showed how extremist activity is expanding beyond physical violence into cyberspace.
The agency said it will continue to block terrorist websites and work with community partners to raise public awareness. Still, it stressed that government action alone cannot eliminate the threat, especially when extremist content continues circulating across multiple online platforms.
Early reporting made the difference
One message appears repeatedly across all three cases: someone noticed warning signs before it was too late.
Tan’s acquaintances alerted the authorities after hearing his extremist views. In the 14-year-old’s case, someone in his school recognised troubling behaviour and contacted ISD before his planned attack.
By contrast, relatives and friends of the 15-year-old appeared aware of his extremist beliefs but didn’t report them.
ISD said family members and friends are usually the first to notice changes in behaviour. These can include displaying terrorist symbols, sharing extremist content, expressing admiration for violence, spreading hatred towards other communities or talking about carrying out attacks in Singapore or overseas.
The department urged anyone who notices such warning signs to seek help early. In some situations, early intervention may allow individuals to receive support before detention under the ISA becomes necessary.
The three youths will undergo rehabilitation programmes aimed at addressing their ideological, psychological and social vulnerabilities. ISD said it will also work with their families and schools so they can continue their education while in detention.
A challenge that extends beyond law enforcement
These cases are unsettling not simply because attacks were being planned, but because they show how easily violent ideas can reach young people through ordinary online activity.
The internet gives teenagers access to information, communities and opinions from around the world. The same technology can also expose them to propaganda, violent subcultures and people seeking to exploit personal anger, loneliness or frustration.
The three youths followed different paths, yet each ended up believing violence was an acceptable answer. Singapore’s security agencies can investigate and intervene, but prevention starts much earlier.
Parents, teachers, classmates and friends are usually the first to notice when someone’s behaviour changes. Speaking up may feel uncomfortable, but these cases show that it can save lives and give a vulnerable young person the opportunity to receive help before reaching the point of no return.
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