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Report a threat: 1800-2626-473 ctcisd@mha.gov.sg

COUNTERING TERRORISM AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM

On 11 Sep 2001, the world watched in horror as operatives from the terrorist group, Al-Qaeda (AQ), hijacked and crashed two commercial aircrafts into the iconic World Trade Centre towers in New York City. A third aircraft was flown into the US Pentagon. The catastrophic events of 9/11 marked the beginning of a new wave of terrorism, from which Singapore was not spared.

The first specific lead that ISD received which led to the disruption of the Singapore network of the AQ-affiliated regional terror group, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), came from a vigilant member of the public. A Singaporean source had informed ISD that Mohammad Aslam bin Yar Ali Khan (Aslam) had AQ links. ISD then mounted surveillance on a group of people associated with him and investigated them. In December 2001, ISD brought forward operations against Aslam’s associates after the media published a report about Aslam following his arrest by the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. As part of the operations mounted against the Singapore JI network, 15 persons were arrested by ISD between 9 Dec and 24 Dec 2001, and another 21 persons were arrested in August 2002.



The terrorism threat is an evolving one. The mid-2000s saw the rise of self or home grown radicalisation where individuals who were not part of any organised terrorist groups became radicalised by the radical propaganda put out by groups like Al Qaeda or radical ideologues like Anwar al-Awlaki (deceased). In 2007, ISD detected the first case of a self-radicalised Singaporean who wanted to carry out armed violence overseas. As the internet and the use of social media become ubiquitous, online terrorist propaganda became one of the key means through which individuals become radicalised.

In the mid-2010s, we saw the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) amidst the Syrian conflict. The game-changer during this period was the social media. ISIS’s savvy use of social media and ability to produce propaganda videos of high production value led to a new wave of radicalisation cases involving both Singaporeans and foreigners based here. Those radicalised were also getting younger, and for the first time, women were being dealt with under the ISA because of their terrorism involvement. Several of these radicalised individuals had harboured intentions to travel to Syria to fight alongside ISIS or other terrorist groups operating in the conflict zone. A few were even willing to conduct attacks in Singapore or against Singapore interests overseas. ISD’s pre-emptive security operations thwarted their violent plans.


Violent extremism is not restricted to any one race or religion. Beyond radical Islamist terrorism, the global rise of other forms of violent extremist movements including far-right extremism, has added to the terrorism threat Singapore faces.

In December 2020, ISD detained the first self-radicalised individual who was influenced by far-right extremist ideology. The 16-year-old Singaporean youth was inspired by the March 2019 Christchurch mosque shooter, Brenton Tarrant, and wanted to emulate his attack.


Shortly after, the serious threat of lone-actor attacks was further underscored by the case of the 20-year-old Singaporean youth who was detained under the ISA in March 2021. Aggrieved by the Israel-Palestine conflict, he had made plans and preparations to conduct a knife attack against members of the Jewish community at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in Singapore. He also wanted to travel to Gaza in the Palestinian territories to join the military wing of HAMAS.


These cases illustrate that external developments and foreign grievances have significant repercussions on Singapore’s security landscape, and could motivate at-risk individuals in our society to engage in violence.

The developments in Afghanistan in 2021 could also have an impact on Singapore’s domestic security. The state of civil conflict and Taliban’s ascension to power may allow transnational terrorist groups like AQ and ISIS to re-establish safe havens for training and attack planning. Militant groups may also leverage on ideological narratives to attract recruits, including radicalised individuals from Singapore, to Afghanistan as a theatre for jihad. Read about ISD’s assessment on this issue in media.

ISD is committed to taking firm action against any individual in Singapore who supports, promotes, undertakes or makes preparations to undertake armed violence. This is regardless of how the individual rationalises such violence, or where the intended violence is to take place. Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has intentions to travel to Afghanistan or other conflict zones should promptly contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism hotline 1800-2626-473 or make a report via the SGSecure app.

Historically, terrorism is not a new threat to Singapore. Singapore has had prior brushes with international terrorism, namely the Laju Incident in 1974 and the hijacking of flight SQ117 in 1991. The key difference between these earlier incidents and the terrorism threat we face today is the fact that the JI network in Singapore, and the self-radicalised individuals dealt with in more recent years, were our fellow Singaporeans who were willing to resort to violence to advance extremist beliefs. The fight against the contemporary terrorism threat requires not only a kinetic response, but a battle of hearts and minds to ensure that extremist beliefs do not take root in our society.

Stay in the Know on ISD's counter-terrorism cases.

CONTENDING WITH COMMUNALISM

Singapore’s racial and religious diversity is a strength worth celebrating, but it also carries inherent vulnerabilities. The relative racial and religious harmony, or communal harmony, that Singaporeans enjoy today belies a past punctuated by racial and religious riots. 

Singapore has not experienced large-scale communal unrest since the 1960s but this does not mean that the threat of communalism or racial and religious extremism has ebbed. Race and religion remain the most visceral and dangerous fault lines in our society.

ISD’s role in safeguarding racial and religious harmony in Singapore primarily takes place behind the scenes. We intervene, and work with community stakeholders, where necessary to prevent individuals and groups from stoking communal unrest, sowing inter-communal discord and undermining the social cohesion that Singapore has painstakingly nurtured over the years. 

Visit the Harmony in Diversity Gallery to find out more.

 

GUARDING AGAINST FOREIGN ESPIONAGE AND INTERFERENCE

While a terrorist incident is highly visible, foreign espionage or intelligence activities are not as they are conducted clandestinely. Countries engage in espionage or intelligence activities by recruiting human agents or using technical methods to obtain sensitive or confidential information about their target countries. Some countries may also engage in interference activities to try to shape the actions, behavior and policies of the countries they are targeting to advance their own national interests. 

Foreign espionage, intelligence and influence operations that target Singapore or make use of Singaporeans to conduct such activities undermine Singapore’s national interests. The disclosure of sensitive or classified information to Singapore’s adversaries could potentially harm our national security, jeopardise our economic interests or damage our diplomatic relations. Over the years, ISD has uncovered numerous such activities and put a stop to them. 

 

Cyberspace – A New Threat Frontier

In today’s world, spy games are no longer confined to the physical domain. Cyberspace has emerged as a new threat frontier when it comes to state-sponsored espionage and hostile intelligence activities.  

ISD’s counter-espionage and counter-intelligence work straddles both the physical and cyber domains. As a highly-digitalised society, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to cyber threats. State-sponsored cyber intrusions against our government, critical infrastructure and other information networks pose substantial threats to Singapore’s national security and national interests. Similarly, hostile dis-, mis- and mal-information campaigns launched by other countries against Singapore could seriously compromise our internal security and stability. They could be part of a larger subversive agenda by our foreign adversaries.  

ISD fuses our counter-intelligence expertise and cutting-edge technological capabilities to counter threats to Singapore’s national security emanating from the cyber domain. We advise Singapore government agencies on protective security measures to guard against threats, and work closely with relevant agencies to safeguard Singapore’s national cyber security. 

 

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Over the years, ISD has built strong partnerships with the community, public agencies and private sector entities. We place high value on strengthening our ties with the wider community as we recognise that the public has an important role to play in helping to protect Singapore and Singaporeans from security threats.  

ISD Heritage Centre

The Centre, which opened its doors in 2002, was originally conceptualised as an in-house training facility for ISD officers. It contains a rich repository of material that documents an integral part of Singapore's post-war and modern security history.

The Centre showcases security operations undertaken by ISD through the years, and reveals the painstaking intelligence work of its officers to keep Singapore safe and sovereign. Visitors learn about the fundamental role the organisation has played in neutralising threats from terrorists, spies, agents of influence, communists, and racial and religious extremists.

Ultimately, in sharing Singapore's security history, the Centre seeks to emphasise that Singapore's security and stability do not come naturally; they require hard work and sacrifice and should never be taken for granted.

Visiting the Heritage Centre

As the Heritage Centre is located within a protected area, it is not open to walk-in visitors.  Instead, it liaises with organised groups such as government agencies, schools and grassroots organisations to facilitate requests for visits.

Mobile Exhibitions

In order to bring key security messages to a larger audience, the Centre also organises mobile exhibitions at external locations.  It collaborates, for example, with schools and tertiary institutions to hold exhibitions on the threats to Singapore's national security posed by terrorism, communalism, extremism and radicalisation.

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Security Outreach

ISD regularly undertakes security outreach to sensitise members of the public to the various threats to Singapore’s internal security. Since 2001, we have conducted numerous briefings for various groups in the community, such as the youth, community leaders and migrant workers in Singapore, to raise awareness of the terrorism threat and educate the public on how they can play a part in preventing terrorist incidents and the spread of extremist ideologies. We also conduct lectures, workshops and mobile exhibitions on national security issues for public sector agencies, institutes of higher learning, community organisations, and private sector companies.

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Settling-In Programme for new foreign domestic workers (Terrorism Module)

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Community Partnership in the engagement of migrant workers including migrant worker imams