SPF: Indonesian man charged after 19.5-cm knife found hidden in sock at Changi Airport Terminal 4 departure screening

SINGAPORE: A 32-year-old Indonesian man was charged in court on August 29, 2026, after aviation security officers discovered a knife concealed inside his sock during departure screening at Changi Airport Terminal 4.

The incident occurred on August 27, 2026, at about 1:10 p.m. A Certis Cisco aviation security officer operating the X-ray machine at the Terminal 4 Departure Centralised Screening area detected a suspicious sharp object in the man’s right shoe after he was instructed to remove his footwear before passing through the screening lane.

The man was escorted to a search room where officers found a knife measuring 19.5 cm in length with a 12 cm blade, together with a sheath, concealed inside his sock. The knife had been wrapped in layers of plastic bags and sealed with tape. This was noted as an apparent attempt to obscure it from detection.

The man will be charged with carrying an offensive weapon in a public place under Section 6 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, which carries imprisonment of up to three years and mandatory caning of not less than six strokes.

The Police reiterated their serious stance toward any attempt to bring offensive weapons into public spaces, reminding travellers that possession of offensive weapons without lawful purpose will be dealt with firmly under the law. The case also serves as a reminder that Changi Airport’s multi-layered screening process, including the requirement to remove shoes, is designed precisely to detect concealment methods of this kind.

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