Violent ISIS ideology continues to resonate in region, S’poreans must stay alert: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE – The latest spate of arrests in Malaysia shows that violent ISIS ideology continues to resonate in this region, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam in a doorstop interview on June 28.

While the authorities will do their best to detect and prevent any terrorist attack here, Singaporeans need to stay vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour, he added.

Mr Shanmugam was speaking to reporters four days after Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced the arrest of eight people – six men and two women, aged 25 to 70 – over the past weekend, which thwarted possible threats against Malaysia’s leadership.

Preliminary investigations into the eight arrested for suspected links to extremist ideologies had showed the existence of threats against Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other VIPs, said Mr Saifuddin on June 24.

The suspects came from various occupational and economic backgrounds, and included housewives, retirees and professionals.

Noting that the targets were top Malaysian leaders, Mr Shanmugam said: “The ultimate aim of the terrorists was to topple the Malaysian government.”

“ISIS’ violent ideology continues to resonate in this region, and is fueled by a virtual network of supporters,” he said.

“Extremist narratives have radicalised many individuals, including here in Singapore. As long as these ideologies persist, they will continue to inspire attacks.”

Following the May 17 pre-dawn attack on the Ulu Tiram police station in Johor that left two cops dead and another injured, Malaysian police arrested five family members of the attacker, as well as at least 15 other pro-ISIS suspects in a series of operations.

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Asked if his assessment of Singapore’s terror threat has shifted given the latest developments, Mr Shanmugam said the Internal Security Department (ISD) makes regular assessments, and while the arrests are something to be factored in, “I won’t say it comes as a big shock”.

“If you look around the region, ISIS ideology is prevalent in many countries, and this must be seen in that context,” he added.

But what happens in Malaysia will have an impact on Singapore’s security landscape, given the two countries’ proximity to one another, he added.

This was Singapore’s experience with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), when Singapore thwarted plots by the group to carry out terror attacks here, he said.

Following the first wave of arrests here in December 2001, remaining JI members met in Malaysia to plan retaliatory attacks against the Republic.

Asked how Singapore can ensure its security while expanding connectivity with Malaysia – the Rapid Transit System Link with Johor is scheduled to begin operating by end-2026 – the Law Minister said this is done in two ways.

The first is through the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s checks at the borders, and he sought commuters’ understanding if this added to travel time.

“People have to understand this is a matter of security. It’s serious,” he said.

The second is by maintaining close contact between ISD and Malaysia’s Special Branch, such as in intelligence sharing, he added.

He reiterated Singapore’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorist threats, noting that 50 self-radicalised individuals – 38 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners – have been issued with Internal Security Act orders since 2015.

“We move in very early. We don’t wait for the threat to materialise, or about to materialise, and we don’t take chances,” he said.

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