Singapore warns of elevated terror threat amid rising extremist ideologies

News18

3 days ago

Singapore, Jul 29 (PTI) Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) has warned that the country's terror threat remains high, citing a growing diversity of extremist ideologies and the misuse of evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence to propagate radical narratives.
According to ISD's Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2025, 'a volatile global landscape arising from developments such as the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and continued traction of radical narratives" has intensified the proliferation of extremist ideologies, the Channel News Asia (CNA) reported on Tuesday.
The ISD in its report also highlighted the increasing role of online platforms in radicalisation, particularly among youths.
Social media and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Instagram, as well as gaming platforms like Discord and Roblox, and video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Bitchute, have been used to disseminate extremist materials, it said.
From July 2024 to June 2025, eight self-radicalised Singaporeans — six males and two females aged between 15 and 56 — were dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Four of them were influenced by the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, two by pro-ISIS ideologies, and the remaining two by far-right extremist beliefs, the report said, adding that all of them encountered extremist content online.
The agency also noted the uptick in the number of local self-radicalised youths, with half of the eight latest cases involving youths aged 20 or below.
Singapore's trend mirrors a broader global trend, with several western countries reporting last year that one in five terror suspects are under 18, while European countries reported that nearly two-thirds of ISIS-related arrests involved teenagers, the report said.
A total of 60 self-radicalised individuals — 48 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners — were dealt with under ISA since 2015, it said.
The agency found that online platforms featured in terrorism-related activities in four broad areas: to enable the radicalisation or to accelerate it, to facilitate recruitment for terrorist-related activities; and to mobilise and prepare for armed violence.
'The emergence of technological innovations, such as AI, also risks complicating the terrorist threat globally and locally," the ISD said.
'Even though there is no indication that evolving technologies, such as AI and 3D printing, have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore, we are seeing an emerging trend of evolving technologies featuring in local youth self-radicalisation cases," it said.
The report cited two examples to buttress its point.
A 17-year-old ISIS supporter, detained in September last year, used an AI chatbot to generate a bai'ah – an oath of allegiance – to ISIS, while another 17-year-old far-right extremist, detained in March, used an AI chatbot to find instructions for producing ammunition and considered 3D printing firearms to carry out attacks.
'There is a need for increased cooperation between the public and private sectors, especially with technology and social media companies, to create a safer online environment," the ISD said.
It noted that technology firms have stepped up their efforts, such as regulating and removing egregious content on social media platforms.
'However, technology companies could continue to explore further efforts in this area, including collaboration with religious and community organisations, to guide users in navigating the digital space and positively influence the online discourse," it said. PTI GS SCY SCY
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First Published:
July 29, 2025, 14:30 IST
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