George Yang, Author at Goody Feed

A 14-year-old Singaporean boy has become the first case of self-radicalisation involving a "salad bar" of extremist ideologies, prompting the Internal Security Department to issue him a restriction order under the Internal Security Act in September 2025. The Secondary three student developed support for ISIS, far-right and far-left extremism, communism, anti-Semitic beliefs, and incel ideology within a year of first encountering extremist content online. He idolised Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, and Kim Jong Il while harbouring hatred towards women and Jews. The boy first encountered far-right extremist content in mid-2024 through online algorithm recommendations. He discovered foreign extremist personalities who posted far-right extremist and true crime content, which focuses on real-life criminal cases involving violent offences like murder, assault, or serial killings. Hours on Online Online He spent several hours daily consuming content on violent anti-Semitic beliefs and became exposed to the manifestos of far-right terrorists Brenton Tarrant and Anders Breivik. Tarrant carried out the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand that left more than 50 dead, while Breivik was responsible for the 2011 Norway attacks that killed more than 70 people. The boy developed strong hatred for Jews and backed Nazi figures like Hitler. However, as a Muslim, he rejected anti-Muslim rhetoric from far-right extremism. He simultaneously advocated far-left extremism, viewing it as anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist. He supported socialism and communism while rejecting capitalism, which he saw as a Jewish ideology. He claimed support for Kim Jong Il for establishing a socialist-communist government in North Korea. In November 2024, the teenager watched a video of ISIS engaging in armed combat on social media. This led him to join pro-ISIS and jihadist communities online, becoming convinced of ISIS' cause of establishing an Islamic caliphate through violence. In April 2025, he pledged allegiance to ISIS, idolising Osama bin Laden as the founding father of modern jihad. He shared voluminous amounts of ISIS-related materials on his social media accounts and aspired to become a fighter for the militant group when older. The boy shared extremist content with some schoolmates, but none became radicalised. He was in contact with several foreign extremists, including an alleged Iraq-based ISIS supporter who offered to help plan an attack in Singapore and sent him bomb-making manuals. The boy did not take steps to carry out such an attack. The teenager thought of killing Jews and carrying out a school shooting. He believed attacks by school shooters such as Elliot Rodger were justified since they were standing up against their oppressors. He identified as an incel after becoming influenced by incel-related content online in late 2023. Incel is short for "involuntary celibate" and refers to a subculture of mostly men who are unable to find romantic or sexual partners despite desiring one. This community hates women and those they perceive as more sexually successful. The boy came across incel content when he became self-conscious about his appearance and discovered social media content related to "looksmaxxing", an incel subculture that provides solutions on enhancing physical appearance. Some incel ideologies have been linked to misogyny, violence, and extremism. The boy's family remained unaware of his radicalisation. He hid his activities by deleting extremist content on his digital devices and using data obfuscation tools to mask his digital footprint when accessing radical websites. ISD noted the boy's understanding of both far-right and far-left extremist concepts was shallow. He championed conflicting aspects of these ideologies, supporting North Korea's communist government while also backing Nazism for being anti-communist. The boy will undergo religious counselling complemented by psychological and social rehabilitation. He will be assigned a community mentor because of his young age, and ISD officers will work with his school and family for adequate support without disrupting his studies. Business Owner Planned Armed Violence in Syria and Turkey Defence ISD also issued a restriction order in July 2025 to Muhammad Jihadul Mustaqiim Mahmud, a 30-year-old self-employed online business owner who wanted to engage in armed violence in Syria and take up arms against Greece in defence of Turkey. Jihadul learnt of the Syrian conflict in 2011 through social media, becoming invested and developing hatred towards the Assad regime, which he viewed as oppressive. He empathised with the suffering of Syrian civilians. In 2019, he faced setbacks in his personal life, accelerating his descent into extremism. He became frustrated after Assad's regime recaptured rebel-held territory and consumed online content about the conflict to distract himself. That year, he wanted to fight alongside Syrian rebel groups and die a "meaningful death" to escape his reality. In 2022, he learnt about Malhama Tactical, a group of private Syrian military contractors training rebels to fight against the Assad regime, and considered joining them in Syria. Even after the Assad regime's fall in December 2024, Jihadul remained interested in Syria's situation. Since March 2025, he engaged in online discussions with an alleged Syrian-based extremist about the situation there. He hoped to travel to Syria in end-2025 to meet former Syrian fighters who had fought against the Assad regime for training in tactical manoeuvring and live-firing. He did not make specific travel preparations. Jihadul redirected attention to territorial disputes between Turkey and Greece, which he had been following since 2022. He immersed himself in consuming information online about the disputes and considered taking up arms to defend Turkey should the disputes escalate into armed conflict. To prepare for overseas fighting, Jihadul watched tactical movement videos and engaged in live-firing at a range in Phuket, Thailand, during his vacation in February 2025. He looked for firing ranges offering specific assault rifle models he had researched as prevalent among military groups in Syria and Turkey. While unable to find firing ranges for civilians to practise with such weapons, he operated three different conventional firearms at the Phuket range. His family was unaware of his plans. ISD noted that restriction orders against two other Singaporeans have been allowed to lapse as they made good progress in rehabilitation and no longer require close supervision. Kuthubdeen Haja Najumudeen, 42, was detained in May 2019 and released from detention in May 2021. His restriction order was allowed to lapse in May 2025. Muhammad Anwar Jailani, 59, who was issued a restriction order in June 2010, had his order lapse in July 2025. Besides these two new cases announced on 9 Sep, there were three other ISA cases in 2025. In January, a 56-year-old housewife who managed social media groups supporting Islamist militant and terrorist organisations was issued a restriction order. In February, a 15-year-old girl who wanted to marry an ISIS fighter in Syria was issued a restriction order, becoming the first female teen dealt with under the ISA. In March, a 17-year-old boy who planned to kill at least 100 Muslims was detained under the ISA. Anyone issued with a restriction order cannot change residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore, without Director ISD approval. The individual cannot access the internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings, or print, distribute, or contribute to any publication. They cannot hold office in, or be members of any organisation, association, or group, without Director ISD approval. ISD said the terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by a volatile global landscape arising from developments like the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The "salad bar" threat remains severe as it motivates individuals to engage in violence.

George Yang

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