Singapore's DM urges Singaporeans to be vigilant against terrorist threats

Singaporeans must always be vigilant about their security and never let down their guard against threats posed by extremist terrorism, said Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Wednesday.

Ng noted that several events taking place in Malaysia serve as reminders for Singaporeans to be vigilant about its security on his Facebook account.

The defence minister cited how the Malaysian Police Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Director told the press in a special briefing on the ISIS threat on April 2. The Malaysian director said that "it was not a matter of if Malaysia will be attacked, but when."

Ng mentioned how 17 individuals, who were plotting to attack police stations and army camps to obtain firearms, were detained in Malaysia on April 5. They were planning to make bombs based on detailed notes allegedly from Imam Samudra, an Indonesian who was executed for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings. The group was also planning to kidnap high-profile individuals, and some had received training in Afghanistan and Indonesia's Sulawesi province.

Ng was also concerned about terrorism threats posed by the ISIS and its sympathizers. There have been three reported ISIS-related terrorist plots which were foiled by the Malaysian security forces.

He noted that 92 individuals have been arrested for terrorism- related offences since 2013. There were also other arrests for terror recruitment and financing, and attempts to travel to Iraq and Syria.

To guard against those threats, Singapore must also maintain its social defence led by community and religious groups to maintain racial harmony, said Ng in his post. Endi