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Straits Times
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Forum: Preventing radicalisation demands a whole-of-society effort
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox I read with interest the article ' Online platforms halve time it takes for Singaporeans to be self-radicalised: ISD ' (July 29). The Internal Security Department's (ISD) latest report revealing that online platforms and chat groups have halved the time it takes for Singaporeans to be self-radicalised is deeply concerning and ought to galvanise a strong, united response from all of us. That some of those radicalised are minors makes this even more urgent. We are witnessing a rapidly evolving terrorism threat. Radicalisation no longer requires face-to-face contact or overseas travel. Today, a smartphone and internet connection are all it takes. In a matter of weeks, individuals, especially youth, can be drawn into echo chambers that glorify violence, justify hatred, and distort religion or ideology. What makes this trend especially insidious is how extremist narratives are packaged in memes, gaming slang, and short-form videos. These messages are not hidden in obscure forums. Rather, they are present on platforms youth use daily: Telegram, Discord, Reddit, YouTube, and even gaming servers and TikTok. ISD's work in early detection and rehabilitation is commendable, but no security agency can act alone. The front line now lies in our homes, classrooms and places of worship. Parents must stay alert to not only distress or delinquency, but also subtle shifts in language and world view. Teachers and counsellors need support to have conversations about identity, belonging, and online influence. Religious and community leaders play a key role in debunking harmful ideologies and offering guidance to those who feel disillusioned or marginalised. Digital literacy must also evolve. It should go beyond spotting fake news to include the ability to question ideological content and reject black-and-white thinking. Our youth must be taught not just how to avoid scams or cyber bullying, but also how to critically navigate a complex and often manipulative online space. The task of preventing radicalisation demands a whole-of-society effort. Just as we rallied together during the pandemic and other national challenges, we must now bring that same vigilance to protecting our young and preserving our social harmony. Irwan Jamil
The Star
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Internal Security Department
SINGAPORE: A volatile global landscape arising from developments like the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to drive the high terrorism threat in Singapore, said the Internal Security Department (ISD). It released its annual report on terrorism on Tuesday (July 29), saying terrorist organisations have exploited situations like the one in Gaza to spread propaganda, using them to reinforce their violent narratives. ISD said ISIS and Al-Qaeda have incited attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, and those of nations seen as supporting Israel. This has corresponded with an increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide and in Islamophobia overseas, it added. ISD said there is currently no specific intelligence about an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore. But the country continues to be viewed as an attractive target by terrorists because of its friendly relations with Western nations and Israel, and its status as a secular and multicultural state. Since its last report in July 2024, ISD has dealt with eight self-radicalised Singaporeans: six males and two females aged 15 to 56. Four of them had been influenced by the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people. Of the other four cases, two were radicalised by pro-ISIS extremist ideologies and two by violent far-right extremism. ISD warned that ISIS is resilient and remains one of the world's largest Islamist terrorist organisations. It has cash reserves of around $12.9 million and has between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria. The department said that far-right extremism ideologies have gained ground in Singapore, especially among the youth. Since 2020, four youths have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for subscribing to such ideologies. Two of them, aged 18 and 17, had been self-radicalised separately after becoming inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. The shooter, Brenton Tarrant, murdered 51 Muslims and live-streamed the killings. Both teens idolised Tarrant and identified as East Asian supremacists, believing in the superiority of Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities. The 17-year-old had identified five mosques in Jurong West, Clementi, Margaret Drive, Admiralty Road and Beach Road as potential targets and planned to kill at least 100 Muslims as they were leaving after Friday prayers. He had been influenced by anti-Semitic content online and fantasised about killing Jews, but did not have any concrete attack plans. ISD said an increasing variety of online platforms used by youth in self-radicalisation cases here is also of concern. It said self-radicalisation remains a key domestic terrorism threat, with 60 self-radicalised people issued orders under the ISA since 2015. Of these, 48 were Singaporeans. Singapore adopts a whole-of-society approach to counter extremism, combining preventive measures such as public outreach with rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. ISD works with government agencies and grassroots and community partners to conduct outreach across different segments of society, to raise public awareness on the threat of terrorism and online radicalisation. It stressed the importance of knowing how to spot signs of radicalisation and the need to report at-risk individuals early. Some of these signs include expressing support for terrorist groups online, frequent surfing of radical websites and making remarks that promote ill will or hatred towards people of other races, religions or communities. ISD said public vigilance is critical to combating the terrorism threat, and early reporting enables the person to receive timely help. This maximises the chances of the individual's successful rehabilitation before he or she becomes more deeply rooted in radical ideologies. Since 2002, ISD has issued ISA orders against 148 Singaporeans for terrorism-related conduct. Of these, 102 were issued orders of detention, while 46 were issued restriction orders. Of those detained, about four out of five detainees had made good progress in their rehabilitation, leading to 85 of them being released. Of those issued with restriction orders, 39 have had their orders lapse. ISD said most of these Singaporeans have found stable jobs since their release. It said countering terrorism is everyone's responsibility. 'The ever-evolving threat of terrorism is real and demands unwavering vigilance, cooperation and resilience from every sector of society.' It added that 'every action taken, every report made and every initiative launched' bring Singapore one step closer to a safer, more united nation. Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the SGSecure movement and learn how to spot suspicious behaviours and signs of radicalisation, and how to respond if caught in a terror attack. Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has been radicalised should call the ISD hotline on 1800-2626-473 or e-mail isd@ - The Straits Times/ANN
AsiaOne
29-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ISD, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — A volatile global landscape arising from developments like the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to drive the high terrorism threat in Singapore, said the Internal Security Department (ISD). It released its annual report on terrorism on July 29, saying terrorist organisations have exploited situations like the one in Gaza to spread their propaganda, using them to reinforce their violent narratives. ISD said ISIS and Al-Qaeda have incited attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, and those of countries seen as supporting Israel. This has corresponded with an increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide and in Islamophobia overseas, it added. ISD said there is currently no specific intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore. But the country continues to be viewed as an attractive target by terrorists because of its friendly relations with Western nations and Israel, and its status as a secular and multicultural state. Since its last report in July 2024, ISD has dealt with eight self-radicalised Singaporeans: six males and two females aged 15 to 56. Four of them had been influenced by the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people. Of the other four cases, two were radicalised by pro-ISIS extremist ideologies and two by violent far-right extremism. ISD warned that ISIS is resilient and remains one of the world's largest Islamist terrorist organisations. It has cash reserves of around $12.9 million and has between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria. The department added that far-right extremism ideologies has gained ground in Singapore, especially among the youth. Since 2020, there have been four youths who have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for subscribing to such ideologies. Two of them, aged 18 and 17, had been self-radicalised separately after becoming inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. The shooter, Brenton Tarrant, murdered 51 Muslims and livestreamed the killings. Both teens idolised Tarrant and identified as East Asian supremacists, believing in the superiority of Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities. The 17-year-old had identified five mosques in Jurong West, Clementi, Margaret Drive, Admiralty Road and Beach Road as potential targets and planned to kill at least 100 Muslims as they were leaving after Friday prayers. He had been influenced by anti-Semitic content online and fantasised about killing Jews, but did not have any concrete attack plans. An increasing variety of online platforms used by youth in self-radicalisation cases here is also of concern, said ISD. It added that self-radicalisation remains a key domestic terrorism threat, with 60 self-radicalised people issued orders under the ISA since 2015. Of these, 48 were Singaporeans. Singapore adopts a whole-of-society approach to counter extremism, combining preventive measures such as public outreach with rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. ISD works with government agencies and grassroots and community partners to conduct outreach across different segments of society, to raise public awareness on the threat of terrorism and online radicalisation. It stressed the importance of knowing how to spot signs of radicalisation and the need to report at-risk individuals early. Some of these signs include expressing support for terrorist groups online, frequent surfing of radical websites and making remarks that promote ill-will or hatred towards people of other races, religions or communities. ISD said public vigilance is critical to combating the terrorism threat, and early reporting enables the person to receive timely help. This maximises the chances of the individual's successful rehabilitation before he or she becomes more deeply rooted in radical ideologies. Since 2002, ISD has issued ISA orders against 148 Singaporeans for terrorism-related conduct. Of these, 102 were issued orders of detention, while 46 were issued restriction orders. Of those detained, about four out of five detainees had made good progress in their rehabilitation, leading to 85 of them being released. Of those issued with restriction orders, 39 have had their orders lapse. ISD said most of these Singaporeans have found stable jobs since their release. It said countering terrorism is everyone's responsibility. 'The ever-evolving threat of terrorism is real and demands unwavering vigilance, cooperation and resilience from every sector of society,' said ISD. It added that 'every action taken, every report made and every initiative launched' bring Singapore one step closer to a safer, more united nation. Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the SGSecure movement and learn how to spot suspicious behaviours and signs of radicalisation, and how to respond if caught in a terror attack. Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has been radicalised should contact the ISD hotline on 1800-2626-473 or e-mail isd@ [[nid:714509]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Straits Times
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ISD
Find out what's new on ST website and app. In its terrorism report on July 29, the Internal Security Department said there is currently no specific intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore. SINGAPORE – A volatile global landscape arising from developments like the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to drive the high terrorism threat in Singapore, said the Internal Security Department (ISD). It released its annual report on terrorism on July 29, saying terrorist organisations have exploited situations like the one in Gaza to spread their propaganda, using them to reinforce their violent narratives. ISD said ISIS and Al-Qaeda have incited attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, and those of countries seen as supporting Israel. This has corresponded with an increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide and in Islamophobia overseas, it added. ISD said there is currently no specific intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore. But the country continues to be viewed as an attractive target by terrorists because of its friendly relations with Western nations and Israel, and its status as a secular and multicultural state. Since its last report in July 2024 , ISD has dealt with eight self-radicalised Singaporeans: six males and two females aged 15 to 56. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Online platforms have halved time it takes for Singaporeans to be self-radicalised: ISD Asia Extreme weather turns Beijing into rain trap; 30 killed, over 80,000 evacuated Asia Meeting between Cambodian-Thai militaries postponed, as acting Thai PM says border calm Singapore NDP 2025: Enhanced security measures to be put in place around the Padang Business SIA shares tumble after 59% first-quarter profit slide Singapore Motorcyclist hurt after car crashes into bollard next to Clementi coffee shop Sport World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro among list of top names for Singapore football coach Four of them had been influenced by the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people. Of the other four cases, two were radicalised by pro-ISIS extremist ideologies and two by violent far-right extremism. ISD warned that ISIS is resilient and remains one of the world's largest Islamist terrorist organisations. It has cash reserves of around $12.9 million and has between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria. The department added that far-right extremism ideologies has gained ground in Singapore , especially among the youth. Since 2020, there have been four youths who have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for subscribing to such ideologies. Two of them, aged 18 and 17, had been self-radicalised separately after becoming inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. The shooter, Brenton Tarrant, murdered 51 Muslims and livestreamed the killings. Both teens idolised Tarrant and identified as East Asian supremacists, believing in the superiority of Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities. The 17-year-old had identified five mosques in Jurong West, Clementi, Margaret Drive, Admiralty Road and Beach Road as potential targets and planned to kill at least 100 Muslims as they were leaving after Friday prayers. He had been influenced by anti-Semitic content online and fantasised about killing Jews, but did not have any concrete attack plans. An increasing variety of online platforms used by youth in self-radicalisation cases here is also of concern, said ISD. It added that self-radicalisation remains a key domestic terrorism threat, with 60 self-radicalised people issued orders under the ISA since 2015. Of these, 48 were Singaporeans. Singapore adopts a whole-of-society approach to counter extremism, combining preventive measures such as public outreach with rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. ISD works with government agencies and grassroots and community partners to conduct outreach across different segments of society, to raise public awareness on the threat of terrorism and online radicalisation. It stressed the importance of knowing how to spot signs of radicalisation and the need to report at-risk individuals early . Some of these signs include expressing support for terrorist groups online, frequent surfing of radical websites and making remarks that promote ill-will or hatred towards people of other races, religions or communities. ISD said public vigilance is critical to combating the terrorism threat, and early reporting enables the person to receive timely help. This maximises the chances of the individual's successful rehabilitation before he or she becomes more deeply rooted in radical ideologies. Since 2002, ISD has issued ISA orders against 148 Singaporeans for terrorism-related conduct. Of these, 102 were issued orders of detention, while 46 were issued restriction orders. Of those detained, about four out of five detainees had made good progress in their rehabilitation, leading to 85 of them being released. Of those issued with restriction orders, 39 have had their orders lapse. ISD said most of these Singaporeans have found stable jobs since their release. It said countering terrorism is everyone's responsibility. 'The ever-evolving threat of terrorism is real and demands unwavering vigilance, cooperation and resilience from every sector of society,' said ISD. It added that 'every action taken, every report made and every initiative launched' bring Singapore one step closer to a safer, more united nation. Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the SGSecure movement and learn how to spot suspicious behaviours and signs of radicalisation, and how to respond if caught in a terror attack.
Straits Times
29-07-2025
- Straits Times
Online platforms have halved time it takes for Singaporeans to be self-radicalised: ISD
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The Internal Security Department said it is seeing an emerging trend of evolving technologies like AI and 3D printing being found in youth self-radicalisation cases in Singapore. SINGAPORE – Before 2015, it used to take an average of 24 months for someone in Singapore to be self-radicalised. With social media, cases between 2021 and 2025 took an average of just 12 months, said the Internal Security Department (ISD) in its annual report on terrorism released on July 29. It added that innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) risk complicating the terrorist threat both globally and locally. In two cases here, AI chatbots were used for terrorism-related activities. ISD's investigations found that many self-radicalised Singaporeans had unintentionally stumbled upon extremist materials online, as social media algorithms recommended similar content to what they had recently viewed. Some of this was radical content and resulted in many recent cases taking only a few months to be self-radicalised, said ISD. It cited a case involving a 15-year-old girl here who was issued a restriction order in February. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ISD Asia Extreme weather turns Beijing into rain trap; 30 killed, over 80,000 evacuated Asia Meeting between Cambodian-Thai militaries postponed, as acting Thai PM says border calm Singapore NDP 2025: Enhanced security measures to be put in place around the Padang Business SIA shares tumble after 59% first-quarter profit slide Singapore Motorcyclist hurt after car crashes into bollard next to Clementi coffee shop Sport World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro among list of top names for Singapore football coach Her radicalisation took mere weeks. She had seen ISIS propaganda online in June 2023, pledged allegiance to the terrorist group a month later and wanted to marry an ISIS fighter . She started at least eight online relationships with supporters of ISIS and was the first female teen to be dealt with under the Internal Security Act. The report highlighted the role of social media and online platforms like Telegram, Reddit, Discord, Roblox and Bitchute, with extremist groups using memes and slang to promote their propaganda. ISD said it has seen an increasing variety of such platforms being featured in cases of self-radicalised individuals here, especially in instances involving youth. Technology featured prominently in two recent cases involving youth. One was an ISIS supporter, while the other was a supporter of far-right extremism (FRE). Both were self-radicalised 17-year-olds who turned to AI chatbots for their terrorism-related activities. ISD said it is seeing an emerging trend of evolving technologies like AI and 3D printing being found in youth self-radicalisation cases here. The ISIS supporter who was detained in September 2024 had used an AI chatbot to generate a bai'ah, or oath of allegiance, to ISIS. After taking the pledge, he had planned to kill non-Muslims in Tampines during the September school holidays. He also used the AI chatbot to generate a declaration of armed jihad against non-Muslims to inspire other Muslims in Singapore to engage in armed violence. The other teen, who was an FRE supporter detained in March, had been inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. He searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition and considered 3D-printing his own firearms to carry out attacks here. He identified five mosques in Jurong West, Clementi, Margaret Drive, Admiralty Road and Beach Road as potential targets and had planned to kill at least 100 Muslims as they were leaving after Friday prayers. ISD said even though there is no indication that such evolving technologies have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore, it is expected that terrorists will exploit them given how easily accessible such tools are. ISD said 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. It noted that technology companies have increased efforts to prevent and disrupt terrorists' abuse of their platforms and services, such as by regulating and removing harmful content on social media platforms. But it added: '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.'
