A 20-year-old man who had planned to use a knife to attack and kill Jews leaving a synagogue, and to take up arms abroad, has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Singapore.
Amirull Ali, who was a full-time national serviceman in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) when he was arrested in February, had planned to target three Jewish men after their Saturday congregational prayers at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in Waterloo Street.
The Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Wednesday (March 10) that Amirull, who was enraged by the Israel-Palestine conflict, had targeted the men on the assumption that they would have done national service in Israel and hence had carried out alleged atrocities against the Palestinians.
But he shelved his attack plans twice, as he was concerned he would not attain martyrdom should he be arrested and sentenced to death after the attack. Instead, he made plans to travel to Gaza to join the military wing of the territory's ruling faction Hamas in its fight against Israel.
This is the second case of a thwarted terror attack on a place of worship in recent months. Last December, a 16-year-old self-radicalized Singaporean student who had planned to attack two mosques in Sembawang and Woodlands and kill Muslims there was detained under the ISA.
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said on Wednesday that a large part of the Jewish community here are Singapore citizens, and would have served national service here.
Speaking during a visit by Muslim leaders to the synagogue, the minister said: "It's perfectly okay to support the Palestinian cause, but it's not okay to go around killing people. If he had succeeded in his plans, the consequences for us would be very serious. It will go beyond the loss of the three lives, or however many he managed to kill. It would probably incite a greater animosity, distrust, between different races and religions in Singapore."
Amirull, who was also self-radicalised, started supporting Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (AQB), after reading a book glorifying the group's exploits. Three years later, Amirull discussed his intentions to travel to Palestine to join AQB with a foreign contact, who encouraged him. ISD added: "He was told that he would become a martyr if he were to die fighting against the enemies of Islam on the battlefield."
Amirull, he is not known to have influenced any other individuals in Singapore with his radical views. Between mid-2018 and last year, Amirull researched travel routes to Gaza. He also made a replica of an AK-47 assault rifle and practised handling it, believing he would be issued one by AQB based on what he had read.
Its investigations so far indicate that Amirull had acted alone, and that there was no sign of him trying to influence anyone or involve others in his intentions. His immediate family and others in his social circles were not aware of his attack plans.