10 Facts About the Teen Who Had Wanted to Plan an Attack on 2 Mosques in Woodlands

Many of us in Singapore live under the assumption that our country will always be safe, and that no serious terror attack, for instance, will ever take place here.

But if the authorities hadn’t stepped in, Muslim worshippers in two mosques here might have been violently attacked in March this year.

Yesterday (27 Jan), the authorities revealed that a 16-year-old Singaporean boy was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last December.

He was found to have made “detailed plans” to conduct terror attacks at two mosques.

Naturally, the boy is the focus of public attention right now, as many are wondering how a young individual could think of committing such a heinous act.

So, who exactly is this boy? And what drove him to make such nefarious plans?

Here are 10 facts about the teen who nearly carried out a terrorist attack in Singapore:

His Identity Has Not Been Revealed

While his story is being reported by countless news outlets, his identity has not been revealed.

Neither his name nor school has been released by the Internal Security Department (ISD) because of his age.

What we do know is that he’s a Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity.

He is the Youngest Person Ever to be Detained for Terrorism-related Activities

At just 16 years old, the youth is the youngest person so far to be dealt with under the ISA for terrorism-related activities.

The teen was still in secondary school when he was detained.

He is the First Detainee Influenced By Far-right Extremist Ideology

Over the last decade or so, there’s been a concerning rise of right-wing extremism creeping into society.

In 2011, Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Brevik killed 77 people in two separate attacks. He was strongly opposed to Islam and blamed feminism for a European “cultural suicide.”

Then, in 2015, American white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine black parishioners in South Carolina in what was referred to as a domestic terrorist attack.

Both these attacks inspired one New Zealand terrorist, who would later influence the 16-year-old Singaporean.

He Was Influenced By The Terrorist Who Killed 51 Muslim Worshippers in New Zealand 

On 15 March 2019, New Zealand was rocked by a devastating terror attack.

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant had gone to two mosques in Christchurch and killed 51 Muslim worshippers.

He even live-streamed the horrific attack on Facebook and released a 74-page manifesto titled “The Great Replacement”.

He has since been sentenced to life in prison without parole, and his attack had led to many reforms, from new firearms laws in New Zealand to new regulations in social media livestreaming.

The teen who was detained under the ISA had viewed the video of the mass shooting in Christchurch and read Tarrant’s manifesto as well.

He is believed to have been strongly influenced by Tarrant, and intended to carry out the mosque assault on 15 March this year: the second anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks.

He Initially Planned to Attack Two Mosques With Guns & Bombs

The teen had chosen Assyafaah Mosque in Sembawang and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands as his targets, because they were near his home.

He conducted online reconnaissance and research using Google Maps and Street View on both mosques to prepare for the attacks.

Like Tarrant, the youth intended to drive between the two attack sites. The only problem was he didn’t have a driving licence.

So, he watched online driving tutorials and planned to rent a BlueSG car, and would use his father’s stolen credit card to complete the transaction.

He also purchased a tactical vest from an online platform and intended to adorn the vest with right-wing extremist symbols, just like Tarrant did.

He planned to modify the vest so he could strap on his phone to livestream the attack as well.

Initially, the 16-year-old intended to use a rifle for the attacks, similar to the one used by Tarrant.

He found a prospective seller through a private chat platform, but ultimately decided against it because he suspected it was a scam.

While he persisted in his search for firearms, he eventually gave up after realising how difficult it would be to acquire them in Singapore, with its strict gun-control laws.

He also explored the idea of making a triacetone triperoxide bomb, copying Tarrant’s plan of setting fire to the mosques with gasoline. But he abandoned this idea as well, due to logistical and personal safety concerns.

In the end, the youth decided on a machete as his attack weapon.

He watched YouTube videos on how to attack people with a knife, and was confident that he would be able to hit the arteries of his targets by randomly slashing at the neck and chest areas.

When he was arrested, he had already found his preferred machete, but hadn’t purchased it yet.

He Drafted His Own Manifesto

Just as Tarrant famously did, the 16-year-old drafted his own manifesto.

He had prepared two documents which he planned to circulate before his attack.

The two documents borrowed heavily from Tarrant and referred to him as a “saint” and to the Christchurch attacks as a “justifiable killing of Muslims”.

The first called upon the people of France to stand against Muslims, and the other was a manifesto expounding his hatred for Islam.

In his manifesto, he asserted that violence should never be solved with peace, because peace, while “moral”, is “nowhere near effective” as violence.

He Believed He Was Defending Christians

The youth started planning his violent assault after a terror attack on 29 Oct last year in Nice, France, where a terrorist beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a church.

According to ISD, this attack convinced the boy that he needed to defend Christians by pre-emptively attacking Muslims here.

He Was Self-Radicalised 

Extremist groups often target young people via the internet and social media in hopes of radicalising them.

This includes psychologically manipulating them and exposing them to incendiary material which is designed to provoke anger against a certain group of people.

In this case, however, the 16-year-old was self-radicalised.

This means he was influenced by terrorist ideology through reading or viewing materials himself, and wasn’t recruited by terrorist groups.

In addition to the Christchurch attacks, the boy also watched Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) propaganda videos, and came to the erroneous conclusion that ISIS represented Islam, and that Islam called on its followers to kill non-believers.

He developed a strong antipathy towards Islam and also had a fascination with violence.

He Will Undergo Counselling Instead of Being Imprisoned

According to The Straits Times, the teen will undergo psychological counselling for his troubling beliefs.

Both a mentor and a Christian religious counsellor will be assigned to correct his radical ideology.

Social support will also be given to the youth and his family.

This approach is better for their rehabilitation than imprisonment, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said.

“There’s a reasonable expectation, that he, like many of the other boys, would eventually understand what their religion is about, and can actually get rehabilitated,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam pointed out that some previous detainees have been released after two to two-and-a-half years of rehabilitation, while others need more time as they’re very fixed in their views.

His Family & Friends Had No Idea About His Plans to Attack

TODAYonline reported that while the boy spent most of his time researching firearms licensing and watching online driving tutorials, he did have some friends in school.

However, neither his immediate family members nor his friends were aware of his attack plans.

In addition to counselling, the ISD said it will make the necessary arrangements for the 16-year-old so he can continue with his studies.

This means he’ll be preparing for the national examinations while in detention.

Mr Shanmugam said the recent rise of right-wing extremism across the globe is worrying, and has made its way to Singapore.

He asserted, however, that violent impulses are not restricted to any particular racial or religious group.

“It can occur among anyone”, he said.

The ISD urged the public to stay alert to suspicious items and individuals, and to inform the authorities by calling 999, sending an SMS to 71999, or by using the SGSecure app.

Featured Image: ISD