2. While there is no indication of an imminent attack, the terrorism threat to Singapore remains high.
3. The terrorism threat has been elevated since the Israel-Palestine conflict re-escalated following the 7 October 2023 HAMAS attack on Israel. The conflict has generated emotive responses worldwide, including acts of violence, and terrorist elements have leveraged the conflict to further their agenda and called for attacks. These developments also impact Singapore. There has been an uptick in anti-Singapore rhetoric on social media from regional extremist elements.
4. Islamist terrorism remains at the forefront of the global terrorism threat landscape, in particular by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). ISIS has transited into a covert organisation. It is behind the protracted insurgency in Iraq and Syria, while maintaining a global terror campaign. Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda (AQ) poses a simmering threat.
5. In Southeast Asia too, ISIS remains the primary threat actor. The region continues to see ISIS-linked or inspired attacks and foiled plots.
6. In Singapore, the primary threat driver continues to be online self-radicalisation. 52 self-radicalised individuals (comprising 40 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners) have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since 2015. Youth radicalisation is a particular concern. 13 of the 52 were aged 20 or younger.
7. Since the last report in July 2023, ISD has dealt with three self-radicalisation cases. They were issued with Restriction Orders (ROs) under the ISA. Two were boys, aged 14 and 16. The third was a 33-year-old female. The ongoing Israel-HAMAS conflict triggered the radicalisation of the 14-year-old and 33-year-old. The 16-year-old was radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies.
8. Public vigilance and preparedness are key to our defence against terrorism. The authorities will not always be able to neutralise plots before they are actualised, or identify radicalised individuals before they act. It is critical that the public remains strongly vigilant to the possibility of a terrorist attack against the country, and that such an attack may be successful.
9. Anyone with information or suspicion on terrorism-related activities, or persons who may be radicalised, should promptly contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism hotline at 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD). We should also prepare ourselves for the eventuality of a successful attack, so that we are able to respond well and help mitigate the consequences. Please learn more about SGSecure to understand the role we can play, or sign up as an SGSecure Responder, at sgsecure.gov.sg.
Annex1.
Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2024 (PDF, 9.10 MB)
