On May 17, a man killed two police officers and injured another at a police station in Ulu Tiram, Johor, before being shot. - ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): The recent attack on a police station in Johor is a grim reminder that the threat of terrorism remains high, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on May 21.
In a Facebook post, he reminded Singaporeans to be vigilant against such extremist ideology finding resonance here, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has been used by global terrorist elements to “peddle their radical rhetoric and incite calls for violence”.
“In particular, self-radicalisation is a growing concern, especially in our youths. Over the past two years, four self-radicalised youths (under the age of 20) were dealt with under the Internal Security Act,” said PM Wong, adding that he had just received a briefing from Singapore’s security agencies.
On May 17, a man killed two police officers and injured another at a police station in Ulu Tiram, Johor, before being shot. The suspect had connections to the Jemaah Islamiyah militant group but is believed to have acted on his own, said Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Investigations into the attack are ongoing and the attacker’s motivations remain unclear, PM Wong said.
“In view of the heightened threat situation following the Ulu Tiram attack, we have stepped up security measures, including at our checkpoints,” he said.
“Our security agencies will continue to monitor global and regional security developments closely.”
PM Wong urged the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious people or activities to the authorities immediately.
He said: “If someone you know shows signs of radicalisation, contact Internal Security Department at 1800-2626-473 for prompt assistance.
"Early reporting will allow ISD and its partners to help the suspected radicalised individual in a timely manner and prevent the person from harming himself/herself and others.” - The Straits Times/ANN
